Deep Snow
by yukuro
Summary: Inui sets up mistletoe in the clubroom for the holidays, trapping the most unusual pairs underneath. Fuji drags Tezuka into helping him play matchmaker for the Golden Pair! But it seems they have their own issues to work out as well... [TxF], [OxE], [MxR]
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: … *cough* … GO AWAY! O_O! DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP, BUSTER! OR ELSE! JUST  WATCH! I SWEAR I'LL CHEW ON—…! ON…! …on…Ryoma's shoe because I'm too poor to own anything T_T *lawyers sue her for damage on Ryoma-sama's shoe* …daaaaaamn ;_;

Pairings: TezukaxFuji, OishixKikumaru, (the rest of the conventional pairings u.U; )… and the rest will be revealed later ^.^

            Deep Snow

_Why did it seem that falling in love with you was only the beginning of my problems? All of a sudden, I had to stop myself from loving you "too much." Every thought of you suffocated me; I couldn't breathe whenever you passed me by with such an innocent smile. But…is it really as innocent as it seems? After all, I know better than anyone else what kind of a person you really are…_

The skies were growing gray and the winds were becoming cold that day in December as Tezuka Kunimitsu, the silent captain the Seigaku Regulars, watched the club members run around on the courts. Today was beginning to grow steadily colder, and Tezuka wouldn't be surprised if it snowed.

            Slowly scanning the Regulars of his team, his eyes latched onto a certain smiling light haired boy with his usual smile on his face. Fuji Syusuke was having a quiet conversation, except for occasional bursts of laughter, with Kikumaru Eiji, another one of the Regulars. Seeing the way Kikumaru was blushing madly and Fuji had a troublemaking look on his face, Tezuka decided he would rather _not_ find out what the two were talking about. Sighing, he stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Fuji was such a troublemaker.

            Tearing his eyes away from the sweetly smiling boy, Tezuka strode towards Ryuzaki-sensei, who was ready to call the club members together to end their session for the day. Crossing his arms, he stood beside his coach silently as she called out, "Club members, assemble!"

            Smiling as always, Fuji walked towards where the other members were gathering, Kikumaru at his side. It was really adorable to see the redhead so flushed and even more fun to be the one causing it. Oh, Fuji like to see people suffer all right, but for Eiji, it would be enough just to see him flush the same color of his hair, wailing and whining. Who _ever_ would have guessed that just saying a few…ahem, _things_ about Oishi could produce such an effect on the energetic redhead?

            Smiling mischievously, Fuji walked to calmly stand between Kikumaru and Kawamura. It was always just a little frustrating to see the Golden Pair pining for each other, completely clueless about each other's feelings. That was when Fuji decided to step in and take things into his own hands. What's the perfect love without a little help, after all?

            Sensing that he was being watched, Fuji looked up, smiling, to see Tezuka frowning at him. Fuji could tell his stoic captain wasn't exactly pleased with the fact that he wasn't paying attention to whatever Ryuzaki-sensei was saying. Fuji smiled innocently back at Tezuka.

            "…so I would advise you all to work hard before break. Oh, and one last thing before you go, be careful of Inui's Christmas decorations, because if you get caught by him, I won't be able to help you. I hate to say it, but I'm on Inui's side this time. Let this be your warning," Ryuzaki-sensei finished with a grim look on her face. She smirked at the Regulars. "You are all dismissed, except Fuji."

            Approaching the puzzled, but still smiling blue eyed boy, Ryuzaki-sensei smirked, placing a small envelope in his hands. "This just came for you, _Fuji__ Syusuke-sama_. Looks like you've got an admirer."

            Frowning, Fuji took the envelope with "Fuji Syusuke-sama" neatly written on it and opened it, Kikumaru hanging on his shoulder. Quickly unfolding the carefully creased paper, Fuji scanned the letter, a smile on his face when he recognized the writing he hadn't seen for so long. Smiling to himself, he chuckled quietly._ How like him to play this kind of joke…_

            "What is it? Is that a love letter, Fuji?" Kikumaru questioned curiously, cocking his head to the side to read the letter. Eyes widening, he read aloud, "'Every day I long for that rapidly approaching moment when I can see your smile again. Although it's been a time far too long for me, I am hoping you will welcome me when I come see in a few days. Please be expecting me soon. With much love and regards from the Oceanside, _The One With Eagle Eyes_'?! Fuji, do you know who wrote this?! It's like you have a stalker, nya!"

            Laughing, Fuji folded the paper again carefully and put it in his pocket. He smiled at his best friend and patted the top of his red head gently. "Don't worry; it's not a stalker, Eiji."

            Without another word to the curious redhead, Fuji approached Tezuka with his usual, predatory smile on his face. The light haired boy stopped next to his taller captain and watched the club members silently. Quietly, he commented, "Practice went well today."

"Aa," Tezuka responded simply, turning to head towards the door of the gate. He didn't even bother to act surprised as Fuji instantly followed after him. Sighing, Tezuka glanced at the smiling tensai with a sideways questioning look. "What did you get from Ryuzaki-sensei?"

           Fuji looked delighted that his captain had asked. Blue eyes opening, Fuji smirked at the taller boy, holding a finger up to his lips. Winking, he whispered with a seductive smile, "Hi-mi-tsu. You would like to know, wouldn't you, Tezuka? I'm honored that you would ask."

Frowning, Tezuka looked away from the other boy to hide his slowly developing blush. Increasing his pace, Tezuka sighed, asking, "What are you planning this time, Fuji?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Tezuka," Fuji replied innocently, grinning as they headed towards the clubroom. He jogged until he was side by side with the taller boy again. "Isn't this just another day?"

            "Exactly the reason I'm asking," Tezuka mumbled, opening the clubroom door, with Fuji at his side. He blinked when Inui stood in front of them, fixing his glasses. Feeling his bad mood get worse, he frowned again. "Move."

            Smirking, Inui shook his head. "Ah, sorry. I'm afraid I can't do that, Tezuka. You heard what Ryuzaki-sensei warned you about didn't you? You two, please look up."

            Both boys standing in the clubroom doorway looked up to see a mistletoe hanging above their heads. In front of them, Inui was smiling widely and triumphantly with his notebook in hand. "Well? I'm sure you know what to do. This American tradition is pretty well known here, after all."

            As Fuji chuckled, Tezuka closed his eyes, still frowning. Sharply, he snapped, "No. Move, or you'll be running laps."

            "Sorry, Tezuka, but I'm afraid you can't do that," Inui said, his smile widening. "I'm under the protection of Ryuzaki-sensei. Now, unless you'd rather have a crowd gather to see you, ahem, kiss Fuji, I suggest you do it now when there's no one around."

            Eyebrow twitching, Tezuka folded his arms. After trying so hard _not_ to be distracted by Fuji and his sweet, tempting lips, he was not about to give up so easily. "I would rather like to not risk our relationship—" Fuji raised an eyebrow in amusement and Inui scribbled wildly in his notebook. "—as _teammates_ for this…this…"

            "Why doesn't Fuji-senpai just kiss Buchou instead?" a bored voice piped up from behind them, interrupting Tezuka. Echizen Ryoma stood impatiently behind his two senpai. "That would make things much easier. Just get it over with. You're holding up traffic."

            "Aaaaah, that's because Tezuka went in first," Inui replied logically, grinning so that the sunlight bounced off his glasses, making Echizen squint. "Now, be good and kiss Fuji, Tezuka. It's either cute little Fuji or me, so you had better pick Fuji."

            Still unable to see the logic in any of this, Tezuka, still frowning, quickly bent over and pecked Fuji's cheek. His face turned red as he straightened himself up. "Now, move."

            "Oh, no, no, no! That was unacceptable," Inui sighed, shaking his head. Looking disappointed, he quickly wrote something in his notebook. Smiling wickedly, he turned to Fuji. "Fuji, would you mind showing him how it's done? Don't disappoint me."

            Shrugging with a smile, Fuji stood on his toes and pulled Tezuka down to his eyelevel by snaking his arms around the taller boy's neck. Blue eyes opening to glimmer with a hint of wickedness, Fuji savored that look of embarrassment and shock on Tezuka's face before bringing his lips gently to the other's. Gently, partially because Tezuka was still too tall and partially because he had just about no idea what he was doing.

            Nodding in satisfaction, Inui carefully wrote down this precious piece of information before noticing that Echizen was frowning at the boys in the doorway with much confusion and a twitching eye. Coughing, Inui muttered to himself, "Maybe Echizen is a little too young to see this…"

            Fuji pulled away from the kiss when he needed to breathe air again. He smiled when he realized Tezuka didn't even fight back, and was probably completely shocked by what had just happened.

            "Good work, Fuji," Inui commented stepping to the side. He grinned evilly. "It seems as if you're just as good at everything else outside of tennis as well as I expected."

            "Aa, so it went alright," Fuji said, his eyes closing again as he strode into the clubroom to change. He smiled. "I wasn't sure since I've never done it before."

            Slightly dazed, Tezuka walked into the clubroom, stars in his eyes. He ignored the fact that Inui was gaping at Fuji, muttering, "Impossible! I thought Fuji _surely_ would have…"

            "Ah! Kaidoh-senpai! Don't go in…!"

            "Ooh… New victims. Kaidoh, Echizen, if you look up, I think you'll both understand what you have to do. If either one of you back down, I'm sure I can spare enough Special Silver Version Inui Juice."

            "I-Inui-senpai, you…!"

            "No complaints, Kaidoh. Now, get it over with before I decide to take pictures."

            Tezuka brought his hand up to his forehead, sighing when he heard the commotion behind him. How long would this insanity go on? Standing beside Fuji who was buttoning up his shirt, Tezuka pulled his jacket off. "You shouldn't have done that."

            "I know," Fuji replied, smiling sweetly. "I couldn't resist though. It was payback for stealing my first kiss, Tezuka. Well, since it's you, maybe I can let it go…plus I can brag to your fan club. Ah, but you're so tall, it's hard to reach your lips. 179 cm…"

            "Did you that _I_ stole _your_ first kiss?" Tezuka demanded, his eyebrow twitching. He shot the smiling boy a look. "How can _you_ say that after what just happened back there? _I_ stole _your_ first kiss… That's ridiculous, Fuji. Another thing, don't complain that I'm tall. You're the one who's short."

            Fuji simply smiled, continuing to button his shirt up. Slipping on his school uniform jacket, he picked up his racquet bag. Grinning up at the taller boy, Fuji patted his shoulder gently. "You should stress so much, Tezuka. It puts strain on your pretty face."

            "_Fuji!" Tezuka glared sharply at the shorter boy, cheeks slightly tinting red when Fuji opened his blue eyes and winked at him. Frustrating. Too frustrating. Avoid doing anything rash. _Must_ avoid…! Oh, damn. Who cares anymore? "Fuji…"_

            Fuji blinked when Tezuka grabbed his shoulders and lowered his face to meet his own. Fuji stared straight into the dark haired boy's eyes. He looked so kissable… "Tezuka…?"

            "Ahem."

            Instantly, the two boys snapped out of their trance and looked to the side where Echizen stood, staring at them with his big eyes. Smirking, he lowered his hat on his head. "Is there mistletoe above my locker too? Fuji-senpai, Buchou? You're standing in front of my clothes."

            Instantly breaking away, Tezuka stepped to the side, busying himself by shuffling the closest tennis bag, which happened to be Fuji's, unfortunately. Huh. Funny how a rope, having nothing to do with school or tennis, could find itself in a tennis racquet bag. Wait. Was that _handcuffs_? _…I don't even want to know…_ Pushing the bag back on the shelf, he decided it was a better idea just to stand still instead. Fuji was a scary person; anyone could tell just by looking in his bag.

            Fuji smirked at Tezuka when he noticed the captain had accidentally flipped through his bag. Looks like he noticed the weapon Fuji had used in his last plot. Chuckling silently to himself, Fuji glanced at Echizen before looking over his shoulder at Kaidoh, who was crawling around on the floor with a blue-and-red-at-the-same-time, very angry face. It was kind of amusing to see the second year lying on the ground, shaking Inui's ankles as he yelled a string of foul words. Funny.

            Smiling sadistically, Fuji said cheerfully, "I'm guessing by the way Kaidoh is blushing that you two kissed after all, ne, Echizen? Too bad I missed it. It would have been interesting to watch."

            Freezing, the shorter boy in the hat dropped his tennis racquet and glared up at his senpai, face flushed. "Fuji-senpai!"

            "Yes, Echizen?" Fuji replied sweetly, ignoring the way Tezuka was shooting sharp looks at him. Of course, everyone knew that in his mind, Fuji was probably laughing like hell. Still smiling, he went on, "I wonder who's going to be caught next. Hmm… Eiji's been having trouble with Oishi…"

            "EH?! Inui-senpai!! Why do I have to kiss Eiji-senpai?!"

            "Oh, shut up, Momo, he's cute enough. Kikumaru should be the one complaining about you."

            "Hey!"

"Sorry, Fuji-senpai," Echizen muttered, pulling his hat down on his head. "Looks like Kikumaru-senpai's stuck kissing Momo-senpai."

            "Aah," Fuji said with a smile, glancing over his shoulder at Momoshiro arguing with Inui and Kikumaru standing in the doorway with a cutely confused expression. "You don't seem to be very happy about that, are you, Echizen?"

            "I have no idea what you're talking about," Echizen replied dully buttoning up his school uniform and reluctantly taking his hat off his head. Now that his face was revealed, he could just feel Fuji-senpai's amused eyes on his rosy cheeks. "Stop looking at me like that, Fuji-senpai."

            "Sorry, Echizen," Fuji replied with a laugh. "I can't help it. You're just too cute."

            Frowning, the first year picked up his racquet bag and shifted it on his shoulders, deciding what to do. He looked up just in time to see Momoshiro take hold of Kikumaru's shoulders, staring into the redhead's eyes after being threatened by Inui's juice. His frown deepened as his dark haired senpai kissed the still amazingly cutely confused Kikumaru, who simply blinked awkwardly at the boy who was kissing him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Echizen turned around and walked towards a random corner of the clubroom, muttering to himself about what an idiot Momo-senpai was.

            "Hmm… things are really getting interesting now," Fuji muttered with a smirk, heading towards the door where Momoshiro had his head hung in embarrassment and Kikumaru was blinking with a confused expression at him. Glancing over his shoulder, Fuji smiled at Tezuka. "Will you come with me for a moment, Tezuka? There's something I need to discuss with you…"

            Still not very happy about the situation, Tezuka picked up his bag and followed after Fuji. He glared at Inui who opened his mouth again to say something about the mistletoe. Before a word could be escaped from the tall boy's mouth, Fuji smiled up at him and stood up on his toes to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Stay out of trouble, Inui. Sometimes too much experience can be a little troublesome, don't you think?"

            Inui instantly shut his mouth, a blush crossing his face. Forgetting that his notebook was in his hand, he quickly lifted his hand to fix his glasses which were sliding off his nose. Unfortunately for Kaidoh, the notebook fell out of his senpai's hand and onto his face, revealing a bit of information that really wasn't necessary to know… "INUI-SENPAI!! WHY DO YOU HAVE _ALL_ MY CLOTHES MEASUREMENTS?!"

            Regaining his composure, Inui bent over and hastily picked up the notebook, coughing. "W-well, that was in case we needed to be sent to order new uniforms, you know. You can never be too prepared when it comes to clothes… Besides," he muttered under his breath, "you weren't supposed to see that."

            "I really don't think boxer sizes are included in the uniform, Inui-senpai!" Kaidoh said dryly, gritting his teeth, at the same time his hold on the older boy's ankles tightening dangerously.

            "Tsk," Fuji said with a sadistic smirk, "Who would have thought Inui was such a pervert?"

            Tezuka rolled his eyes, stepping over Kaidoh after Fuji again. He was willing to bet anything that Fuji had had that little scene planned out already. Which just goes to show what kind of person Fuji Syusuke really is… Tezuka shuddered slightly.

            Pausing when he bumped into Fuji's back before exiting the clubroom, Tezuka looked out questioningly. Uh, oh. He could just feel Fuji's sadistic smirk returning when Oishi stood before the doorway, confused by the commotion.

            "Um…Fuji? Is something the matter?" Oishi asked slowly, glancing at the shorter boy. There must be a reason for not letting him into the clubroom, right? "Can…I come inside now?"

            "Of course, Oishi," Fuji said cheerfully, motioning for the taller boy to come closer. "Just do me a favor. Bend down a little; I need to tell you something."

            Slightly nervous, but curious as well, Oishi complied, bending down until he was eye-level with Fuji. "W-What is it, Fuji?"

            Blue eyes sparkling, Fuji whispered with a smirk, "You had better be more careful of your kitten wanders off to. If you're not careful, someone else may pick him up and take him home for themselves."

            Confused, Oishi looked at Fuji questioningly. "But Fuji, You know that I don't have a ki—!"

            Without letting him finish his sentence, Fuji cut him off by placing a kiss on the boy's lips. Pulling away, Fuji smiled serenely. "Now you had better get in there and save your princess."

            Oishi blushed furiously, staring in shock as Fuji strolled away as if nothing had happened. Still in complete shock, he looked to Tezuka for answers. "T-Tezuka?"

            Sighing and frowning at the same time, Tezuka walked past his shocked friend, only muttering, "Mistletoe."

            Still staring as Tezuka strode away to where Fuji was patiently waiting, Oishi slowly crept into the clubroom. Looking up, he took notice of the mistletoe above the doorway and decided to make sure he wasn't caught under that again… Sighing in relief, he looked up to see…complete chaos.

            Kaidoh was viciously snarling up at Inui while beating him over the head with his notebook at the same time. Momoshiro, nearly to his limit, was repeatedly apologizing to Echizen who was completely ignoring him, flicking random little things off the self at his senpai. Finally, Kikumaru stood in the center of the room, a cutely puzzled expression on his face.

            Seeing his doubles partner walk into the room, Kikumaru's face brightened with a smile. Quickly, he bounced over to the other boy and hung on his shoulders. "Oishi! _There_ you are! Mou, I had to wait too long for you! Then Momo starting doing something weird, and…"

            Patiently, Oishi listened as the energetic redhead babbled on and on. The dark haired boy smiled softly, listening to his partner's adorable voice. Eiji was so cute… Oishi may not have understood what Fuji meant completely, but maybe this feeling was something similar to wanting to protect his "kitten" from others… "Eiji, let's go out for ice cream."

            "Wah! Oishi, you're being so nice today!" Kikumaru beamed, tightening his hold on his partner. "Want to buy for me since you love me so much?"

            "E-Eiji!" Oishi exclaimed in surprise, his face darkening with red. Quickly covering it up, he managed to laugh slightly and rubbed his hair. "Fine, fine. My treat since you've been being such a good senpai to our kouhai lately."

           "They eat too much," Kikumaru said seriously, a frown forming on his sweet young face. "I swear, if they eat anymore with my money, I'll eat _them!"_

            Oishi sweatdropped.

             "You saw them, didn't you, Tezuka?" Fuji asked with a smile as the two strolled down the sidewalk, side by side. The shorter boy opened his blue eyes and stared straight ahead. "Oishi and Eiji…"

            "I don't know what you're talking about," Tezuka said bluntly, glancing at the other boy. He knew better than anyone than to get mixed up in Fuji's plots. "Fuji, you shouldn't meddle with people's personal affairs."

            "I knew you would say that," Fuji replied cheerfully, turning to stop before Tezuka, beaming up at the taller boy. He smiled sweetly up at the frowning boy. "I know, Tezuka, I know. But I also know you've seen it too. Oishi and Eiji love each other, it's obvious to everyone but them. All they need is a little push, and what kind of best friend would I be if I wasn't the one to give it to Eiji? Wouldn't you do it too? As Oishi's best friend?"

            Closing his eyes to escape Fuji's brilliant blue eyes, Tezuka crossed his arms. "I don't know if you're trying to guilt trip me into helping you, but even if you are frustrated, isn't it better to let them work it out themselves? Being friends isn't to mess with their problems, it's only to support them in case those problems become painful enough."

            "How do you know that's not what I'm doing?" Fuji shot back, eyes sharp. "I don't know about you, Tezuka, but I'm really tired of it. I can't stand seeing another day with Eiji so unhappy. Because he's my friend, I know when he needs help. We aren't called the 'Dream Pair' for nothing, you know. Tezuka, do you really think those two aren't suffering at all?"

            Sighing in defeat, Tezuka opened his eyes to look into Fuji's determined ones. "Fine. But don't think that just because I agree with you means that I'm going to help you with this."

            "Oh, I think you will," Fuji replied, smiling easily.

            "What makes you think that?" Tezuka asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. For some reason, that  smile on Fuji's face told him that the blue eyed boy was up to something, and Tezuka really didn't like it.

            "That's because you love me, of course," Fuji said with a laugh. He savored Tezuka's shocked, blushing expression for a few seconds before turning to walk ahead again. "Come on, Captain _Slowpoke_. Get going, or I'll leave you and your ogling eyes behind."

            "_Fuji!"_

--

**A/N:** OoOoOoOoOoOoh~~ xD Fuji and  Tezuka teamed up to play matchmaker for the Golden Pair! I wonder what the outcome will be…after all, don't Fuji and Tezuka have their own problems as well? x)

Oh! And who is Fuji's "admirer"? ;_; a cookie to any super special person that can figure it out…

All I can say that it's a "childhood friend" of Fuji's… o_O;;; (I think that's a pretty big hint…)

@_@;; Anyway! Hopefully I can get this fic done soon!

U_u; it was originally another one of those horrible one-shots of mine, but it was much too long, so I stretched it into a multi-chaptered fic.

This is partly as a quick Christmas thing for everyone, and I also tried to make up for my last Tenipuri fic which had so many mistakes in it, due to my lack of number-typing skills ;.; *mumble mumble…_*

Since I'm going to be flying around the world to China in two days, I want to get this finished before I leave! ^_^;;

Please review if you can, and I'll be sure to finish this ASAP!

(…but then again, it stinks as well - -;; wah.)


	2. Chapter Two

            Deep Snow

            The week flew by quickly, the chill of winter snow finally hanging in the air. Snow had begun to fall lightly that Friday after school, and because of the weather problems, practice for Seigaku's tennis club was canceled for the day. Even so, the many of the _"dedicated"_ Regulars showed up, whining and complaining still of course, in the clubroom that afternoon.

           Inui flipped through his notebook cheerfully, humming to himself. Ah, what a fun day it had been. He smirked to himself at the data he had recorded. He had successfully trapped several unsuspecting people under the mistletoe and their respective reactions were priceless.

            Kawamura and Ryuzaki-sensei had come in at the same time, but when Inui mentioned the mistletoe, he received a sharp fwap in the head by a very angry teacher. So that had been a failure.

            Next had been Arai and Horio. From the moment the two club members' jaws had dropped to the floor in shock of what they had to do, Inui wished he seriously had a video camera. He should probably borrow one from Fuji next time. Next time…ha…haha… Oh, there would definitely be a "next time."

            "Ne, Kikumaru-senpai, why is Inui-senpai laughing like he's drunk?" Echizen asked dully, walking past his laughing senpai without much emotion on his face.

            "Who knows," Kikumaru said, shrugging, his racquet bag bouncing on his shoulder. "I'd say that juice of his finally got to him."

            "Hn. Sounds reasonable enough to me."

            "Ne, Ochibi," Kikumaru said suddenly to the younger boy, staring up at the ceiling. "Have you seen Fuji or Tezuka around lately? They've been disappearing a lot by themselves recently. It feels like Fuji's purposely avoiding me or something… Do you think I've made him mad?"

            A frown formed on Echizen's face. He was still angry with Momo-senpai. It put him in a bad mood. Why the heck was Kikumaru-senpai telling him this? Sighing, he shrugged it off. Of course, it was just the way Kikumaru-senpai was. With his carefree attitude, the redhead could really trust just about anyone… "I dunno, Kikumaru-senpai. I don't think Fuji-senpai's avoiding you. Maybe…mou, well I don't know! Maybe Fuji-senpai is dating Buchou."

            "Eh?!" the redhead exclaimed in surprise, snapping his head around to look at his kouhai. "Do you really think so?!"

            "I said I didn't know, Kikumaru-senpai," Echizen repeated, his frown deepening. "Weren't you the one who said they were disappearing a lot together? Hn, then again, it may be just another one of Fuji-senpai's plots…"

            "I hope it's like you said," Kikumaru whispered quietly, his head dropping. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "I'd never be able to stand it if Fuji ever deserted me. Oishi, now too! Oishi's been acting so awkwardly around me ever since yesterday! Ochibi, you're the only one I can talk to now."

            Echizen blinked at his senpai. The redhead seemed distressed, angry, accusing all at once, and yet still managed to pull it off as being "cute." Yawning lazily, Echizen rubbed his eyes. "Kikumaru-senpai, I really think no one's avoiding you. Oishi-senpai looks a little sick anyway."

            "Oishi…is sick?" the redhead asked, his expressions softening. A smile suddenly appeared on his lips. Kikumaru latched himself onto the younger boy. "Waaaah! Ochibi, you're so perceptive! I'm glad I talked to you! How did you know Oishi was sick?"

            "That's what you get for eating so much ice cream in the winter, Kikumaru-senpai," Echizen replied, straightening his hat after Kikumaru-senpai had glomped him. "I'm surprised you're not sick too. Kikumaru-senpai, you really let Oishi-senpai spoil you all the time."

            "I guess that's one of the reasons I like Oishi so much," Kikumaru replied sweetly, a gentle smile on his face. Twisting his hands together, the redhead flushed pleasantly. "Oishi always lets me be a kid. He doesn't expect me to be any different from how I want to be…and…I guess that's what really makes me happy."

            Echizen suddenly felt that he should have just shut up and not said anything to begin with. Frowning slightly, the short boy muttered, "I was just making a statement, Kikumaru-senpai. I didn't really want to hear your sappy love story. I bet you could write a novel just on things that make you happy."

            "Most of them involving Oishi, that is, of course," Inui piped up, appearing out of nowhere, apparently regaining his composure after laughing randomly by himself in the corner. Clicking his pen, the tall third year grinned to himself and flipped through his notebook. "Aa…as the data says, 86% of things that make Kikumaru happy involve Oishi."

            "_Inui!" Kikumaru wailed, waving his arms in front of his face in utter embarrassment. "Wah! You're both teasing me too much!"_

            "…4% involves Fuji and 10% everything else," Inui concluded with a nod, ignoring Kikumaru's outburst completely. The tall third year absent mindedly flipped through his notebook, quickly scanning the redhead's data. "Yes…that's about right."

            "Ne, Inui-senpai," Echizen piped up suddenly, pointing towards the clubroom door. "Kaidoh-senpai and Kawamura-senpai just walked in."

            "Oh, really now?" Inui asked with a pleased look on his face, adjusting his glasses before heading towards the door. "Ah, Kaidoh. Aren't you just my favorite test subject?"

            Kikumaru's eye twitched, but Echizen merely shrugged. "That's Inui-senpai for you. That pervert."

            "Thanks for walking me home today, Tezuka," Fuji said with a sweet smile as he stood outside of his house. Eyes opening to glimmer wickedly, the shorter boy asked with a smirk. "Should I give you a goodbye kiss to thank you?"

            Tezuka looked sharply and warningly at the smirking boy. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Helping Fuji with one of his crazy, sadistic ideas had to mean there was something wrong with him. That, or just maybe Fuji was right. Tezuka just couldn't seem to say no to that sweet smile he loved so much…

"You've been doing a lot of kissing lately, haven't you, Fuji?" Tezuka grumbled to the shorter boy. "Weren't you the one that said that sometimes too much experience was troublesome?"

            "Yes, but there's another saying I believe in," Fuji said cheerfully. "Heard of it? 'Practice makes perfect.' It'll be a rematch next time you and I are under that mistletoe again."

            "Excuse me, _'next time,'_ Fuji?" Tezuka asked, raising his eyebrow. "What makes you so sure there'll be a 'next time,' huh?"

            "Aaaw… Tezuka, you're saying that like you don't want it," Fuji said teasingly, lifting a finger to tap Tezuka's forehead lightly. Winking at the taller boy, Fuji blew him a kiss. "Be a good boy until I see you tomorrow, ne, Tezuka? We can start with our idea for Oishi and Eiji too."

            "It was not _our_ idea, Fuji!" Tezuka yelled uncharacteristically after the retreating boy, a blush spreading across his face. "It was completely yours!"

            Fuji smiled serenely to himself as he walked through the front door of his house. He would never get tired of teasing Tezuka. Even if he would be punished, it was worth it to see Tezuka's adorably flushed face. Why Fuji thought so, was even unknown to himself. He just seemed unable to go on for a day without seeing Tezuka's face…

            Sighing inwardly, Fuji opened the door and bent over to take his shoes off, closing his eyes. Placing his shoes next to each other neatly, Fuji stood up straight again. Someone was standing in front of him. He blinked. And blinked again. And again…

            "Well, did I surprise you, Fuji? Didn't you get my letter at school? I'm pretty sure it was sent correctly," the visitor said with a grin.

            "It's not that," Fuji replied, a wide smile spreading across his face as he walked towards his visitor. "You're just early, is all. Good to see you again, Saeki. Nice of you to come and visit."

            Smiling at the shorter boy, Saeki patted his shoulder. He laughed. "You're still just the same as always, Fuji. So you did get my letter at your school then. I was hoping to get a few of your friends riled up about your 'secret admirer.'"

            "Then I can safely say you succeeded, Saeki," Fuji said with a laugh. Smiling mischievous, he went closer to the other boy, placing his arms around his waist. "You certainly got Eiji with your letter. So then…ready to accept responsibility? I had no idea you loved me so much, _Kojirou_…"

            "You really are cruel, Syusuke," Saeki said with a smirk, playing along with Fuji. He threw his arms around the shorter boy dramatically and looked straight into his eyes. "How could you ignore my feelings like that, Syusuke? You know how I suffer every day I'm so far from you."

            Fuji smirked back.

            The door opened and closed again with a shuffling of feet as Yuuta took his shoes off. He blinked at his brother with their friend's arms draped around him messily.

            "Yo," Saeki said cheerfully with a carefree smile, lifting a hand from Fuji's waist to wave at the younger boy.

Sighing, Yuuta shook his head and walked past the pair. "Aniki! Saeki! Do you two _always_ have to flirt all the time? It's kind of embarrassing!"

            "Yuuta," Fuji said with delight, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He didn't bother moving his arms from around his childhood friend. "I didn't know you were coming home today. Did you know Saeki was coming?"

            "No, I didn't," Yuuta said flatly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Nice to see you again, Saeki."

            Laughing, Saeki nodded his head at the now blushing Yuuta. "Nice to see you again too, Yuuta. We must be an embarrassment to him, Syusuke."

            "Really, you shouldn't be so embarrassed," Fuji called after his retreating brother with a grin. "This is our house anyway. There's no witnesses!"

            "Mou…and you wonder why I don't like to come home, Aniki! Jeez…" Yuuta muttered, staggering up the stairs, his eyes closed in annoyance. Truth be told, he really should have been getting used to it by now. After all, Aniki and Saeki always did the same weird little scene whenever they saw each other. Was Yuuta the only one who really thought it was weird?

            Sighing, Yuuta plopped on his bed. "Maybe I should just stay at school for the next few days. Aniki and Saeki are going to be flirting again…agh, and in public too! And I thought they'd be tired of it by now after all these years…"

            "So what kind of new scheme are you up to now, Fuji?" Saeki asked with a grin as the shorter boy handed him a cup of warm tea. "Wasn't that your tennis team captain walking you home? _The_ Tezuka Kunimitsu?"

            "Yes, it was," Fuji replied with a laugh, sitting down next to his friend. "But what makes you think I'm up to something?"

            "Because you're always up to something," Saeki said, smirking as he sipped the tea. "Care to let me in on it? I'm actually rather interested in your methods of torturing your loved ones."

            "Very funny," the other boy replied, his blue eyes opening. "The way I work isn't _torture_. I'd call it…strategic planning that will eventually benefit them in the near future."

            Laughing, the taller boy smiled warmly at his friend. "Very typical of you, Fuji. Now are you going to tell me what you're planning with Tezuka? Or is it just that you finally dumped me for someone else?"

            Chuckling lightly, Fuji replied, "Well, if you really must know… I have these two friends who act like they're married, love each other to death, and still are completely clueless about it."

            "Another matchmaking attempt, Fuji?" Saeki asked, his smile widening. Typical Fuji. So, _so_ typical… "Sounds interesting. I'd help you if I could, but it may be a better idea to leave it to you."

            "Actually…" Fuji started, ideas stirring in his head. He smiled sweetly up at his friend. "I think there is a way you could help. You remember Eiji don't you? That cute redhead acrobatics player on my team…"

            The winter winds were picking up again when Echizen left Seigaku that afternoon. He had left a little later than he had expected. The first year had decided it was better to wait until Inui-senpai was satisfied with all the mistletoe madness in the clubroom before leaving, otherwise he might end up in another embarrassing situation. Although it _was_ kind of amusing to see Kaidoh-senpai and Kawamura-senpai kiss each other. Of course, Kaidoh wasn't extremely pleased about it and ended up trying to strangle Inui with his headband, which resulted in a little more disturbing information in Inui's data book that supposedly wasn't supposed to be found.

            Momo-senpai hadn't shown up at all, Echizen noted a bit angrily. Kicking a rock in his path, the first year frowned at the ground. Why should he care whether or not that idiot of a senpai showed up? Practice was cancelled after all. There was really no reason for any of them to show up at all. But still… "Stupid Momo-senpai."

            "What are you mumbling about, Echizen?"

            Ooh. Speak of the devil.

            "Nothing. Are you following me, Momo-senpai?" Echizen asked dryly, speeding up. He wanted to make it clear to his senpai that he hadn't forgiven him that easily. _Forgive him for what?_

            "Oh, come on, Echizen," Momoshiro called after the younger boy, jogging to keep up with him. Sighing, he asked, "You aren't still mad about the mistletoe thing with Eiji-senpai a few days ago are you?"

            _Oh yeah._

            Kicking another rock, Echizen denied it completely. "No. I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I be mad at you for kissing Kikumaru-senpai so easily without even a fight. Or maybe you didn't want to fight. After all, Kikumaru-senpai really is cute, isn't he?"

            "Echizen! You're being too unreasonable! It was either that or drink Inui-senpai's juice!" Momoshiro complained, beginning to feel slightly annoyed. "I'm sure you would have done the same thing. I heard you kissed Mamushi, didn't you? Well, you don't see _me_ yelling at _you_ for it, even though it really made me jealous as—!"

            Echizen stopped walking at once, making his senpai crash into him. An awkward silence hung between them. Turning around, the first year stared up at his senpai with large eyes. "Care to repeat that, Momo-senpai? Did you say you were…_jealous?"_

            "…no…"

            "You did."

            "No, I didn't."

            "Stop acting like a kid, Momo-senpai, I heard you!"

            "Y-Yeah…well, you started it!"

            "Did not!"

            "Did too!"

            "Di—…never mind," Echizen sighed, turning around again. "Arguing with you is pointless. So…were you jealous me or Kaidoh-senpai? Who would have guessed it. You must really have loved Kaidoh-senpai all along, ne Momo-senpai? After all your years of rivalry, it was really out of love…"

            "Stop that, already, Ryoma!" Momoshiro finally burst, reaching out to pull the shorter boy to face him. The older boy's eyes were fiery. "Are you really so blind?! Don't even joke around! I don't love Kaidoh! The one I love is obviously you!"

            "…"

            "…I…cannot believe I just said that out loud," Momoshiro muttered, slapping his forehead. Glancing to the side, he smiled crookedly at the younger boy. "I'm sorry. I should have said all that.  I mean… I'm sure you've got a pretty girl you already like. Like that one girl with the long pigtails… You must think I'm a pervert, huh? What's wrong with me? Liking you like this. It's almost pathetic the way you plague my every thought… You must really hate me, because you really are killing me with the way you're ignoring me now."

            "I…don't hate you…" the younger boy muttered, his cheeks growing warm as he remembered that his senpai had called him by his first name. _How was I supposed to know? How was I supposed to understand this feeling that burned in my chest, even when I fell into the deep snow? Stupid Momo-senpai. Why does it have to be you that makes me feel this way?_

            "Well…you obviously _do_ hate me…"

            "I said I didn't."

            "But it's obvious you do!"

            "Momo-senpai, if I said I didn't, then I don't!"

            "You _obviously_ hate me, otherwise we wouldn't even be arguing right now!"

            "We're arguing because you're being an idiot!" Echizen exclaimed, looking up to stare his senpai in the eye, his cheeks still flushed. "Stop saying that I hate you, because I think it's obvious that I love you too! That's the stupid reason we're fighting at all! I…"

            Momoshiro blinked at the younger boy, his own cheeks tinting red. "Echizen… Are you…really serious about what you're saying? Don't make fun of me, because I was serious when I said what I said about you."

            "Are you stupid?" Echizen muttered, lowering his head and averting his eyes from his senpai's gaze. "Don't make me repeat myself, Momo-senpai. It's just…"

            "Echizen…" Momo started, his violet eyes beginning to glimmer. If this really wasn't some cruel joke, then this would most definitely be the best Christmas present he could ever receive.

            "What happened to calling me 'Ryoma?'" Echizen muttered, his blush darkening. Lowering his head and pulling the brim of his hat down as well, the younger boy slowly went to stand in front of his senpai. Shyly, he leaned forward onto the older boy's chest.

            Blushing, Momoshiro slowly brought his hands up to the other boy's slim shoulders. Stuttering, he muttered, "R-Ryoma?"

            "…it's cold…"

            A look of understanding crossed the older boy's face and a smile slowly found its way to his lips. Tilting the boy's head up, Momoshiro bravely leaned over to kiss the fiery younger boy's sweet lips. "Can I hold you then?"

            "…I'll think about it," Echizen said with a smirk, unconsciously snuggling into his senpai's embrace. "Don't forget though, Momo-senpai. If you kiss Kikumaru-senpai again, I'll really hurt you."

            "I had no idea you were the jealous type, Ryoma," Momoshiro said cheerfully, tightening his hold on his kouhai. "You're so cute. Can I kiss you again?"

            "Where's the mistletoe?" Echizen asked dully, not looking up from his cozy spot in the older boy's arms. He hid his smirk.

            "Do we really need one?" Momoshiro asked seriously, looking down at the top of the boy's head. He pulled away gently to lift the boy's face again. "Can I kiss you, Ryoma?"

            "Pervert."

            "Is that a no?"

            "…"

            "Merry Christmas, Ryoma…and happy birthday too…"

--

**A/N:** u.u; aaw… looks like I didn't make it in time for Christmas, everyone! Sorry ;_;

I had to leave early _;; I suffered through a 14 hour flight to China on Christmas Eve *sob*

O_o; but then, I *did* enjoy freaking all the people on the plane out by singing happy birthday to Ryoma-sama in four different languages…out loud. xDD oh… fun…

Ack. There's so much I want to write, but I want update this fic faster too! T_T;; what to do?????

Anyway! Much MomoxRyoma fluffy stuff this chapter! ^_^;; kinda to make up being late for his birthday, I guess… (seems I'm late with everything -_-)

Oh! Thank you to all the reviewers! x_X; you are all true Tenipuri fans! Everyone knew it was Saeki who sent that corny letter I wrote o.o; *throws around the cookies she promised*

*cough* _; ok, enough of my idiocy…

**Next** **Chapte**r: Fuji's plan starts! (…which was seriously delayed throughout this chapter…) What roles do Tezuka and Saeki play? Who else is going to be Inui's mistletoe victim?! xD

(did anyone else hear that the PoT anime was coming to an end in 2004? O_O;;; I thought it never ended! Would have made me happy if it didn't ._.; )

Please review if you can spare some time! Happy New Year!! ^.^;


	3. Chapter Three

            Deep Snow

            With the skies growing darker and snowflakes falling gently, Tezuka stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued down the path to his house. The weather was really beginning to put a damper on his mood. If this kind of weather keeps up, the  Seigaku Regulars may not have any practice before break. Tezuka sighed and quickened his pace. He had better get home before the snow got any worse.

            As he padded down the street, his feet shuffling quietly, Tezuka had some time to think. Why was it that whenever he was around Fuji, all his logic seemed to melt away? How could all of his years of work in a thick wall around his heart so easily crumble just by seeing those blue eyes? Maybe it wasn't fair of him to the team. Could it really be right at all? To love a rival?

            Letting out a soft sigh, Tezuka looked up at the sky. _Pathetic_, he thought to himself. Although love was still something he was unsure about, existing only  as a "love" for family and friends, he was already sure about his feelings for the smiling tensai. Maybe that was why he agreed to "help" with Fuji's matchmaking antics. Just being by his side was so soothing…yet provokes a headache at the same time. That was why he was pathetic.

            Bringing his eyes back to the path, the tall boy continued down the sidewalk. The snow was beginning to gather in piles on the ground. Accidentally, Tezuka stepped in one, dazed by his confused emotions. As the snow piles became deeper, he noticed how his foot became harder to move, harder to dig out of its icy grasp… Perhaps that is something like being in love with such a person.

            "Achoo!"

            Halting in his tracks, Tezuka looked around the corner in surprise. "Oishi?"

            Rubbing his hands together, the vice captain looked up and blinked. "Tezuka?" he asked with equal amount of surprise. "I thought you didn't live in this neighborhood."

            "I don't," Tezuka said quietly as his best friend walked to his side. "Fuji does. I walked home with him."

            "Really?" Oishi asked, raising his eyebrow with a smile. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Oishi fell in step with his friend. "I didn't know you and Fuji had become such good friends lately. You two have been walking to school together lately too."

            Tezuka really didn't like the way Oishi had a hint of humor in his voice. It meant he was implying something. Closing his eyes, he said flatly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

            "You don't have to be so difficult, Tezuka," Oishi said cheerfully. "I think it's great about you and Fuji. Seemed like you were pining after him anyway. Are you two dating?"

            "…_what did you say?"_

            Oishi blinked. He was pretty sure he was right… "What? You don't have to be shy about it. You're my best friend, Tezuka. I understand."

            Frowning, Tezuka glared at his friend. Of all people Oishi knew well enough Tezuka was not the type of person open to such feelings.  Frown still on his face, the captain looked straight ahead, focusing on a tree. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he repeated stiffly. "I've already said. I wouldn't risk our relationship—" Oishi grinned, holding back his laughter. "—as _teammates_, Oishi."

            "Of course," Oishi said, still fighting back laughter. His smile stayed stretched on his pale face. It was so rare to see Tezuka with such a face of forced concentration. He must really have something for Fuji. It made Oishi feel slightly sad though. Was Tezuka moving on without him? Maybe so. It would be selfish of Oishi to keep Tezuka to himself, he thought. It was kind of like the feeling he felt with Kikumaru. Except with his doubles partner, he felt as if he wanted to have the smiling redhead to himself forever. _Kind of selfish of me…_

            The pair walked in comfortable silence for a while, which Tezuka was very grateful for. But looking at his friend's pale face, he noticed something seemed to be wrong. This may be a good time to start Fuji's plot. The sooner it was over, the better. "Oishi."

            "Yes?" The other boy looked up in surprise. Tezuka usually wasn't the one to start conversations out of the blue. Maybe something was really up…

            "Are you sick?"

            "What?" Oishi asked, blinking. "I feel fine. Thanks for asking though…"

            "Take better care of yourself," Tezuka muttered, staring still ahead. "You look a little pale. Don't overwork yourself. It's winter, you know."

            Oishi smiled softly. Tezuka would always be the same caring friend as always. "I know. Thanks, Tezuka. Don't worry about me. I haven't really been overworking," Oishi said with a gentle laugh. "Maybe I've just been thinking too much over small things."

            "Do you really mean 'small things,'" Tezuka began, glancing at his friend from the corner of his eye, "or maybe have you been thinking of Kikumaru?"

            "W-What?" Oishi stuttered, a blush creeping up his neck. This was sudden. "What do you mean by that, Tezuka? I, well… Eiji's my partner. I mean, like my friend… I don't think about him…um…specially…"

            "Of course not," Tezuka said stonily. It annoyed him slightly that his best friend's reaction was exactly as Fuji said it would be. It was a little creepy that Fuji seemed to know as much about everyone as Inui did. _I guess that just goes to show that __Fuji__ really knows what he's doing. He really must have thought this out well. Sneaky…_

            "S-so…what brought this on?" Oishi asked nervously, cheeks bright red. He twisted his hands together, avoiding Tezuka's gaze. How embarrassing… "What makes you think that I'm thinking about Eiji?"

            "Nothing," the other boy replied, turning to look straight ahead again. "You're just always thinking of him. Maybe a little more than often could cause some problems."

            "T-Tezuka!" Oishi said in shock. He wasn't expecting that comment. It just didn't seem like something Tezuka would say. "I-I…what…no, b-but…E-Eiji is…he's my…my…"

            "Teammate? Friend?" Tezuka supplied simply. Beside him, he could see Oishi let out a breath of relief. Tezuka did not like this interrogating business Fuji had put him up to. It was annoying. "Teammate, friend, partner, the one you care about most… I guess it depends on your choice of words. It's all the same after all."

            Oishi nearly fell flat on his face. "Tezuka…! W-what… You know that I care about Eiji, but…I couldn't…I _couldn't_…"

            "What?" Tezuka began to quote, keeping a straight face. "You don't have to be shy. I'm your best friend, Oishi. I understand."

            Oishi turned a deeper shade of red. Funny how his own words came back to bite him. Turning his flushed face towards the path, he nodded slightly. "A-ah…"

            "Just think about what you really want for a while," Tezuka muttered, turning towards a turn to his house. He glanced at his blushing friend. Fuji always seemed to be right… "I don't mind."

            "Tezuka…"

            _Maybe it's the same for me too…_

            The next day was pleasantly warmer, but still chilly. There were only tiny snow piles in random places on the ground and the tennis courts were dry enough to play on. The change in weather pleased Tezuka. Now they could have practice, the stoic captain thought to himself as he studied the club members on the court. There seemed to be someone missing though…

            "Where's Fuji today, Tezuka?" Oishi asked from his side, scanning the courts. The vice captain glanced sideways at his friend. "You didn't walk to school with him today?"

            "No," Tezuka responded simply, shifting his eyes towards the clubroom. "Why don't you ask Kikumaru?"

           "Ask me what?" the redhead said on cue, walking towards the pair with a curious look on his face. He didn't seem to notice the way Oishi was blushing. "Did something happen?"

            "No, of course not," Oishi responded quickly and awkwardly. His face darkened when Kikumaru titled his head to the side to stare at his partner. "I was just wondering what happened to Fuji. Being late and all…"

            "Me too!" Kikumaru said cheerfully. His eyes narrowed and he placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I thought it was funny the way Fuji's been acting all weirdly ever since he got that weird stalker love letter."

            Eyes widening, the redhead quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, glancing nervously at Tezuka. Oishi's gaze shifted to the other boy as well, curious about how the stoic captain would react.  Though, actually, he was surprised as well. Fuji getting a love letter? Oishi wondered what kind of way Fuji would think of to "torture" his admirer.

            Tezuka frowned deeply, closing his eyes. Well, this was something he didn't hear before. Oh well. What did it matter? Of course he didn't care. Of course he didn't. So what if someone else likes Fuji? That doesn't matter. Even though that was so, Tezuka still felt the twitching need to hurt someone. Unconsciously, he closed his fists on the closest thing he had contact with. It felt like his racquet handle…

            "Um, Tezuka?" Oishi asked timidly. "I-If you don't mind, could you let go of my wrist? It kind of hurts…"

            Regaining his composure, Tezuka released his hold on his friend, mumbling an apology. Closing his eyes, he adjusted his glasses. This was Fuji's fault. He hadn't seen the smiling boy all morning, but this was all his fault.

            "Hey, I see Fuji with someone by the clubroom!" Kikumaru suddenly exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between them. He probably shouldn't let the love letter incident slip out again. Tezuka actually looked murderous. Grabbing Oishi by the arm, the redhead took off towards the clubroom. "Come on, Oishi!"

            Following silently, Tezuka somehow managed to ignore poor Oishi being dragged by bouncy Kikumaru. His gaze was fixed on Fuji in front of the clubroom talking to Inui with a stranger at his side. Joining the small group, the tall captain discovered it was a person he didn't recognize, but somehow, Kikumaru apparently did.

            "Uwah!" Kikumaru called out, holding out a hand to point at the boy standing next to Fuji with a carefree smile on his face. The redhead's eyes widened, his finger pointed directly at the boy's face. "Aren't you that guy from Rokkaku?! The one Fuji and I played doubles with, nya?!"

            "That would be correct," Inui said with a nod, adjusting his glasses. "Saeki Kojirou, Rokkaku third year, birthday October 1, blood type…"

            "Umm…thank you, Inui, that's enough," Oishi said, sweatdropping. He was surprised the boy could just stand there so calmly with someone reading all his stats out loud. The vice captain glanced at the smiling Rokkaku player. What was a play from the Chiba prefecture doing all the way over here? "So…I don't mean to be rude, but what's he doing here?"

            "Ah, sorry to intrude," Saeki said cheerfully. "Don't worry, I'm not here to spy or anything. I'm just here visiting a friend."

            Kikumaru's eyes widened impossibly large when Saeki grinned at Fuji. Waving his finger around again, he jumped up and down. "Ah! So you're the guy who sent Fuji that love letter!"

            "Eiji!" Oishi glanced nervously at Tezuka, shuffling away slightly. So much for not mentioning the love letter again. The first time seeing Tezuka jealous was bad, the second would be scary. The vice captain gently tugged at the collar of his shirt. Things seemed to be getting awfully tense.

            "Ah, so now it gets interesting," Inui said thoughtfully, taking random notes in his notebook. "So Fuji received a 'love letter' from his old friend? Well that'll make this show more interesting. Fuji, how unlike you to be caught under a mistletoe so many times. I'm surprised at you."

            "I can't really help it," Fuji said with a reasonable smile. "What did you expect, Inui? After all, you did put it right above the door. Would you prefer we all change outside?"

            Coughing, Inui held his notebook up to his nose, glancing sideways at Kaidoh on a far court. Chuckling to himself with amusement, he returned his gaze to the people watching him silently. "Well, get it on with. I should really be getting a camera…"

            "One kiss, right?" Saeki asked, grinning. Fuji was smirking at him. The Golden Pair had similar looks of wide-eyed surprise and Tezuka didn't seem very happy at all. Winking at Fuji, the Rokkaku player picked up his friend's hand and brought it gently up to his lips. "There. One kiss."

            While the others stared in shock, Fuji chuckled in amusement. "Very like you, Saeki. Just like always."

            "'Always?'" Inui asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't even bother saying anything about an "unsatisfactory" kiss. Mumbling to himself with a satisfied grin, the tall data player wandered off to collect more data. "Ii data."

            "You were right," Saeki whispered in Fuji's ear, grinning. His eyes glinted with amusement. "Kikumaru Eiji really is as cute as I remember. It'll make things easier, won't it?"

            "Of course," Fuji whispered back, laughing slightly. He glanced at Tezuka with sharp blue eyes. Kind of funny the way the captain was standing so rigidly with such an expression on his face…

            Pulling away from Fuji, Saeki walked towards the redhead with his arm still hanging out with a pleasant smile. Clasping Kikumaru's hands and seeing his cat-like eyes widen even more, Saeki said cheerfully, "You're Kikumaru Eiji, right? I remember you. You're that great acrobatics player that played with Syusuke. You're really amazing."

            _"Syusuke," did he say…?_ Tezuka's frown deepened. Oishi began to look a little unhappy at the way his doubles partner was blushing so deeply from his hand being held. He couldn't take anymore of this. Clearing his throat to get the Regulars' attention, Tezuka said sharply, "Fuji, twenty laps for being late. Oishi and Kikumaru, you two too for stopping practice."

            Suddenly forgetting his embarrassment, Kikumaru whined at the stoic captain. Blushing again when Saeki winked at him, the redhead quieted down and ran after Fuji. He glanced over his shoulder nervously at Oishi. _I hope Oishi's not mad at me…_

            Squeezing his eyes shut, Tezuka sighed inwardly. Why did everything have to seem so frustrating today? Morning practice wasn't over yet and there was still afternoon practice as well. How was he supposed to put up with them? How was he supposed to put up with Fuji?

            "You're Tezuka Kunimitsu, aren't you?" Saeki asked with a sly yet friendly grin. "Fuji's told me all about you. He speaks really high of you, so you must be a rally great captain."

            Without a word to the Rokkaku player, Tezuka headed back towards the courts with a curt nod. For reasons unknown to him, he already seemed to dislike the other boy. He wasn't sure of why, but from the moment he saw Saeki Kojirou show up with Fuji, strange feelings began to twist within him. If Tezuka were any other person, he might have identified the burning feeling he felt as "jealousy," but he wasn't any other person. He was Tezuka Kunimitsu, the stoic captain of Seigaku's Tennis Club, and he did _not_ feel jealousy. Ever.

            "Interesting guy," Saeki chuckled to himself. "Hey!" he called after the taller boy suddenly, waving with a cheerful smile. "Don't think I'll give up Syusuke so easily to you!"

            Well, maybe just this once…

            Morning practice was nearly over when Inui decided to return to the clubroom to catch more people under the mistletoe. He smiled to himself. He wouldn't let anyone know it, but he really did enjoy picking on Kaidoh. But unfortunately, the stubborn second year seemed intent on avoiding him now.

            Inui had stood by the clubroom throughout the beginning of morning practice and Kaidoh had not come within twenty feet of him. The second year had arrived to school in his Regular uniform. Of course, Inui know that by the time practice was over, the boy would have no choice but to return to the room to change into his school clothes. Then again, as Fuji mentioned…

            The tall third year chuckled to himself as he peeked around the back corner of the clubroom. As he had expected, Kaidoh stood behind, changing into his school uniform. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

            "I-Inui-senpai!" Kaidoh yelped in surprise, frantically finishing dressing. He blushed slightly, making his senpai chuckle. "W-What are you doing back here?"

            "Why are you changing outside?" Inui questioned with a smirk. "This is a public area. I can walk back here if I want to."

            "Only you're perverted enough to come back here while someone's changing though," Kaidoh muttered under his breath, cheeks still rosy. Silently, he picked up his clothes and racquet bag. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to class…"

            "You know, you're really rather cute when you're blushing."

            Eyes snapping open and wide, Kaidoh dropped his racquet bag and flushed. Quickly he scrambled to regain his composure, hissing under his breath. What the heck was Inui-senpai talking about?! "Inui-senpai…" he began slowly, "I really don't think…"

            "Aaaah," Inui said suddenly with a grin, writing something down in his notebook. "You came back here to change, hoping you'd avoid another mistletoe scene, am I correct?"

            "Of course I did!" Kaidoh exploded, glaring up at the older boy, cheeks still slightly warm. "You have all my data already, so shouldn't you _know_ that already?!"

            "Tsk, calm down," Inui said, adjusting his glasses. He suddenly smiled serenely. "You know, I used to take your data down because I was interested in your tennis style. It was really different from others I've seen. You really are 90% stubbornness and determination, 10% everything else."

            Kaidoh blinked, dropping his defensive pose to stare at the other boy. Was Inui-senpai complementing him? Slowly his face heated up again, making it seem unbearably warm. "Inui-senpai…"

            "Actually, as time went on, I only found you more fascinating then ever," Inui went on, staring up at the sky. He smiled. "All of a sudden it wasn't exactly about tennis anymore. Do you know how interesting you are, Kaidoh? I spent day after day watching you, only becoming more and more intrigued. I have pages and pages filled about you in my notebook. Maybe because I wanted to know more about you, or maybe there's something else. I still have to think about that for a while."

            At some point, Kaidoh stopped understanding. Nothing that Inui said made sense anymore. _What's the point of this?_ Inui apparently had some kind of  strange obsession… Kaidoh blinked. "Inui-senpai, if you need help, you know there's this really good hospital down the street from my house…"

            Inui chuckled. "Sorry, you can't get away from me that easily, Kaidoh. I'm afraid when it comes to data, I always get what I want from you."

            Confused, Kaidoh stared at the older boy. The way he was smiling was kind of creeping him out, although it was rather nice to look at… "What are you talking about, Inui-senpai?"

            "I knew you'd be out here," Inui reminded the other boy triumphantly, raising a hand to bring Kaidoh's attention to the mistletoe hanging on the edge of the roof above their heads. He grinned. "Did you really think I'd come unprepared?"

            "I-Inui-senpai, you…" Kaidoh babbled for a moment, but suddenly froze when the taller boy loomed over him. Strange, for some reason, he didn't feel like running away or strangling anyone this time. Though he really wasn't sure why…

            "I'm not going to let you run away this time," Inui said confidently, placing his hands on the other boy's shoulders with a grin.

            "Fine," Kaidoh muttered, hissing as his face reddened and he shifted his eyes to the side. "I guess I've gotten a little tired of running anyway."

            "I suppose," Inui said with an amused grin as he closed the distance between their faces, "that data really isn't as good as the actual thing. Don't you think, Kaidoh?"

            "Shut up already, Inui-senpai."

            "Hmm, that's strange," Momoshiro commented after practice had finished, as he was walking into the clubroom with Echizen at his side. "Don't you think it's kind of weird that Inui-senpai isn't standing around waiting for people to get stuck under his mistletoe?"

            Echizen glared at him with flat eyes. "You're saying that like you want him to be here," he told the other boy resentfully.

            "Haha," the second year laughed nervously, rubbing the back of the neck. "I was thinking it would be alright this time. Since it's you…" He ignored another murderous glare from the blushing face besides him. "…and it gives me another excuse to kiss you."

            "You don't really need an excuse for that," Echizen mumbled, pulling down his hat as he headed towards the shelves. His face was dark red, making his hat seem much more useful.

           "Really?" Momoshiro asked, delighted. He quickened his pace, catching up with the younger boy. He beamed at the blushing boy. "Then can I kiss you right now?"

            Echizen glanced to the side, face bright red. He hadn't said anything, but Momoshiro seemed to get the idea. The small golden eyed boy squeezed his eyes shut when he felt lips on his, arms encircling his body.

            "I thought you were going home with your friend today," Tezuka said in a monotone to smiling Fuji as they walked into the clubroom. Ignoring the surprised Momoshiro and Echizen, who still had their lips together, Tezuka walked in with Fuji behind him and picked up his racket bag.

            "Ah, Saeki's got other things to take care of," Fuji said cheerfully, picking up his bag, ignoring the shocked couple as well. "I sent him out with Eiji. Mind walking home with me after school again?"

            "It's still the morning," Tezuka informed him stonily, heading towards the door with the other boy following. "Worry about it later. Why is your friend with Kikumaru again?"

            Fuji laughed, walking past Momoshiro and Echizen. "Don't worry about a thing, Tezuka. He's not interfering with our plans. Actually, he's helping."

            "It's not _'our'_ plans, Fuji," Tezuka said, walking out of the clubroom. "This was all your idea."

            "Of course it was," Fuji said with a carefree smile, falling in step with Tezuka as they walked towards the school building. "Accompany me to class?"

            "…"

            Momoshiro blinked as his two senpai strolled away having some strange conversation. Blinking a few more times, he finally released his hold on Echizen's waist. He glanced at the other boy with a sheepish grin. "Well…at least they didn't say anything."

            The shorter boy simply pulled his hat lower down on his face, busying himself with his uniform. Even though Fuji-senpai and Buchou didn't say anything, he was still embarrassed. Knowing Fuji-senpai, he would probably think of someway to use that scene against them later…

            Laughing, Momoshiro grabbed his own uniform. He smiled at the other boy. "Maybe it's a good sign. But then again, the way Fuji-senpai was talking, it sounded as if he was up to something. I wonder what it is?"

            "Fuji-senpai is always up to something," Echizen muttered, pulling his uniform on. "That's what worries me."

            "Echizen and Momo seemed to have worked things out for themselves quite well," Fuji commented as he and Tezuka walked through the halls. He smiled strangely. "I'm glad. They were a distraction for the Oishi and Eiji anyway."

            Tezuka simply grunted. Actually, there was nothing he wanted more than to run away from Fuji at that moment. He really didn't want these feelings anymore. He didn't like how Fuji teased him mercilessly. Sometimes he wondered though. Did Fuji understand the feeling he felt? The feeling of falling so deeply in "love," it was like sinking into deep snow? Maybe not, since he wasn't exactly quite sure himself.

            "You know," Fuji said suddenly, eyes opening. "I let Saeki in on the plan because I knew I could trust him. Nothing's really changed, even if at times they seem they have." The blue eyed boy smiled, eyes closing again. "Keep doing what I've been telling you, and I'm sure things will end up fine. The Golden Pair belong together forever, after all. Don't you think?"

            "Sure," Tezuka muttered, walking ahead. "But don't you ever think that they should learn to work it out themselves?"

            "They will," Fuji said confidently, smiling softly. "I only want to provoke them to do so. I actually do want to see them together _before_ I die, you know? Oishi and Eiji are both very smart people. This just happens to be the area where their skills can't help them though. They're both a little dense when it comes to their own feelings."

            "Maybe," Tezuka mumbled, sighing slightly. Fuji would never learn. If anyone asked him, Tezuka would say that Fuji was the one who needed provoking. It was probably the only way he would ever learn anything.

            Stopping in front of Class 3-6, Tezuka looked to Fuji. "Hurry up and get to class then," he said sternly. "Class is going to start soon and I'd like to get back to my own."

            "Thanks, Tezuka," Fuji said sweetly, smiling up at the taller boy. His eyes opened, his sweet smile changing into a satisfied smirk. "You know how much I like you. What a great friend you are, Mr. Perfect. Get on to class then. Don't let me keep you."

            Tezuka sighed once the classroom door slid shut. Fuji really did tease him mercilessly… Even in Tezuka's mind when the smiling tensai wasn't even around. He supposed it had something to do with those piercing blue eyes. Tezuka had a feeling they could pierce someone's soul… Or maybe he was just overreacting.

            Oishi sulked all the way to his classroom. For some reason, it really bothered him that Saeki had been following Kikumaru around admiringly the whole morning. He often had to reassure himself that it was _nothing_ and of course he wasn't feeling this out of _jealousy_.

            It seemed a lot of emotions seemed to be running haywire since Fuji and Saeki showed up, and not just with Oishi. For _some reason_, the vice captain found it almost annoying that Kikumaru always _blushed_ whenever Saeki spoke to him. Of course, Oishi would never be low enough to _spy_ on his doubles partner in order to find out what was causing all of his blushing. He'd _never_.

            A part of Oishi wanted to run after Saeki and _firmly_ tell the Rokkaku player not to be so friendly with his doubles partner, but he knew that wasn't right. Maybe from the way Eiji was blushing was a sign that maybe the redhead liked the other boy. That seemed to fire up the part of Oishi that made him want to take the adorable redhead away for himself.

           Still, there was the calm, reasonable part of him too. As much as his mixed emotions bothered him, the motherly part of him told him to be happy that the bouncy redhead had maybe found someone he liked. _Maybe_, Oishi emphasized to himself firmly.

            Oishi still didn't understand the reason he was feeling all of this lately, but he began to understand that his lovable doubles partner seemed to be the root of it all. So then again…maybe he had Saeki to thank for making him realize this. But realize what?

            Oishi stopped in his tracks.

            Maybe…just maybe…

            …did he feel something for Kikumaru Eiji other than friendship? Maybe that was the reason he always felt so warm when Eiji smiled so brightly at him…

            _…just maybe…_

--

**A/N:** ^_____^; oh my. This has been the longest chapter yet. I've really stretched this fic out! I'm so proud of myself xD

Much love density all around to the remaining unpaired Seigaku Regulars! …except maybe poor Taka-san who really doesn't seem like he gets enough attention ;_;

Well, finally some InuixKaidoh! Yay xDD *laugh* I think I've had that planned out for a while and never had it out. ^.^; oh well. Those two seem just right for each other anyway.

Eto…also, I'm pretty sure there's some birthdays in the Tenipuri cast. O_o; *digs it up* eh… Hyotei's Kabaji Munehiro's (the guy my brother thought was a robot o_o) was today, and Yamabuki's little Dan Taichi's birthday was yesterday. ^_^' Happy birthday to them.

Ah! ;; Which reminds me, I wanted to apologize for all the typos in the earlier chapters! A few of all the wonderful reviewers were kind enough to point them out for me. Thank you! -^^-

T_T;; I should really be finding myself a beta reader or someone to edit these kind of things, but no one really seems to be interested (probably because I'm so lazy xD). So I'll have to apologize for those stupid typos @_@;; much, much sorry-ness!

**Next Chapter:** Oishi finally realizes his feelings?! With Momoshiro and Echizen, and Inui and Kaidoh all paired up, what will happen with the Golden Pair? A second plan is hatched…but this time not by Fuji. ^_^;;

Please look forward to it! xD

As always, review if you can spare me some time. It would be greatly, greatly appreciated! ^____^;

(Ah! By the way, it's Monkey Year this year! O(^.^)O *laugh*)


	4. Chapter Four

            Deep Snow

                        By: yukuro

            The temperature had dropped slightly once morning practice was over for Seigaku's tennis club, due to, of course, the winter season. But for a few people, the air still seemed to be just as warm as it was in the summer…

            "Um… I don't want to seem rude, but…" Kikumaru began slowly, blushing faintly as Saeki followed him down the  hall with a pleasant smile. "Is there a reason you're still following me around? I mean, I'm not mad or anything, just curious…"

            "Like I said," Saeki responded cheerfully, "I think you're an amazing tennis player, and amazingly cute too. I'd like to get to know you. Besides, you're in the same class as Fuji, aren't you?"

            "A-Aah…right…" the redhead said, squeezing his hands together with an embarrassed expression on his face. He did his best to convince himself for the thousandth time that Saeki did _not_ like him. It was just too weird.

            "Are you doing anything after afternoon practice today?" the Rokkaku player asked him, still smiling casually. He was kind of like Fuji in a sense. No one could ever tell what he was thinking.

            "A-Am I, w-what?" Kikumaru sputtered in surprise, eyes widening. His head was suddenly spinning. Was he just asked out on a date?! "I…! But, no, then, ah, actually…no…no, wait…I was…eh…"

            Saeki chuckled at the adorable way the redhead was acting. Kikumaru was flushed and confused, wringing his hands together at one moment then swinging them around the next. He wasn't lying when he said Kikumaru was cute. Of course the reason he wanted to "get to know" him better was of course due to Fuji's persuasion. Fuji could really be a persistent person when he was plotting something. "Is that a 'no' then?"

            Dropping his hands, defeated, Kikumaru stared at the ground, unable to think of any way to protest. "Eto…I guess…so…"

            "Great," Saeki said with a strange smile. "There's this park I'd like you to see…"

            The morning passed by quickly, and soon it was lunchtime. There had developed a pleasant winter chill, but nothing too bad. Fuji was sitting pleasantly in Class 3-6 with his lunch, across a desk from Kikumaru who was sulkingly telling him about what had happened with Saeki. What the redhead didn't know was that Fuji had planned it all.

            "…and then I couldn't think up an excuse and ended up saying I was free," Kikumaru whined, glancing at his best friend with much distress. "It's not that I don't like him, Fuji, I mean. I think he's a nice guy, but…! I don't want to _date_ him… Can't you say something to him, Fuji?"

            "Sorry, Eiji," Fuji said, smiling sympathetically. Reaching out, he patted the top of his friend's head. Fuji felt maybe the very, very slightest tinge of guilt, seeing the way Kikumaru looked as if he was on the verge of tears. _Oh well. It's for his own good._ "You already agreed, right? Even if I said anything, it would still be rude, you know?"

            "Uwaaah! Fuuuuuuuji!" the redhead whined childishly. A few of his classmates blushed and giggled. "I thought he was _your_ admirer!"

            "Just a friend," Fuji said simply, laughing slightly at his best friend. Kikumaru really was adorable in a teddy bear kind of way. He was so much fun to tease…maybe not quite as much as Tezuka though. "Sorry, Eiji, but it looks like being cute won't get you out of this situation."

            "I know," Kikumaru said, blushing slightly. "Looking like this is what got me into this situation! Maybe I should shave my head and get plastic surgery on my face until it looks as bad as that big scary guy's from Hyotei! Like this!"

            Fuji smiled in amusement as he watched Kikumaru stretch his cheeks and pull at the corners of his mouth, sticking his tongue out. "Ah, but if you do that, I don't think Oishi would appreciate it much. There's a reason kittens are cute, you know."

            "Not you too, Fuji!" Kikumaru complained, removing his hands from his face to frown slightly at his smiling friend. "You're like Inui and Ochibi too! Nya, why do you all like to tease me?"

            "Because it's fun to see you squirm," Fuji answered truthfully, making the redhead's frown deepen. The shorter boy smiled sweetly. "It's too easy to frustrate you, Eiji. Too easy."

            Sighing, Kikumaru stopped frowning and picked up his abandoned chopsticks again. Using the other hand, he rubbed his jaw. Frowning hurt his face. He wondered how Tezuka could do it so often.

            Silently, Kikumaru looked out the window, his breath fogging up the cold glass slightly.  There was so much on his mind. It wasn't really that he didn't want to date, even if it could cause trouble with school and tennis, it was just that for some reason he kept stopping to think about what Oishi would think. _Why should it matter to Oishi?_ Kikumaru blushed at the thought. _Maybe because he's my partner…I'd feel weird if I didn't know what he thought. But…I don't really feel anything for Saeki, so why am I so worried about what Oishi would think?_

            "Ne, Fuji," Kikumaru said suddenly. Partly to break the ice, partly to get his mind off his problems, and partly just because he was curious. "I'm glad you've decided to stay in class and have lunch with me today, but why aren't you with Tezuka today? Haven't you two been together the entire week?"

            "Aa, yes, but you don't have to worry about that," Fuji said mysteriously. Even though he smiled easily, he thought for a moment about Tezuka.

           Tezuka fascinated him. Fuji always thought of Tezuka as a cold, but an ever so interesting enigma. Fuji had always respected him as being someone stronger than him, as the captain and leader of the tennis club, and he had always thought of Tezuka as a friend.

Though sometimes he couldn't exactly explain the feeling of breathlessness he felt whenever Tezuka looked at him. Nor could he ever explain the way his heart fluttered whenever their hands brushed together as they walked, or even the way smiling always seemed so natural with Tezuka around… There were a lot of other things Fuji couldn't explain though. But whatever these feelings were, the blue eyed tensai was not accustomed to them.

            "Anyway," Fuji said lightly, breaking off the topic, "what do you want for Christmas, Eiji?"

            "Fuji! Quit changing the subject!" Kikumaru complained, poking at his lunch. It was already weird enough seeing Fuji suddenly become so quiet after a while, now he was changing the subject? Something was definitely suspicious…

            "I don't know what you mean," Fuji replied pleasantly, smiling at his flustered friend. "Now tell me what it is you'd like for Christmas. Or are you waiting for Santa to make your dreams come true?"

           "Do you like him?" the redhead finally blurt out. He blinked at his smiling friend. He was curious, yes, but he had to admit it probably wasn't best to say it so suddenly Sometimes it was annoying the way his mouth worked, he thought miserably.

            "Who, Santa?"

            "No!" the other boy exclaimed in frustration, snapping his chopsticks back down on the table. Suddenly, it seemed like he was worried for nothing. "_Tezuka! Do you like _Tezuka_, Fuji?!"_

            "Of course I like him," Fuji replied easily. "Don't you like him?"

            "That's not what I mean and you know it!" Kikumaru said a bit loudly, pointing a finger at Fuji's face. "I mean do you _like_ him? You know… as in special feelings! Even Ochibi says he thinks you and Tezuka have something together! He thought you two were dating!"

            "Echizen's still young," Fuji reasoned, apparently not very amused by the situation anymore. "Really now, Eiji. If you don't understand me, do you really think Echizen does?"

            A few classrooms down the hall, Echizen sneezed.

            "Haha! Looks like someone's talking about you behind your back, Echizen!" Horio exclaimed loudly, laughing just as loudly.

            Horio was hit by a box of juice in the face shortly after, effectively shutting him up.

            Back in Class 3-6, Kikumaru stared pointedly at Fuji. Even though everyone called him a genius, sometimes Fuji wasn't as smart as Kikumaru had always thought he was. Of course, Fuji was still a genius in everything he did, but Kikumaru noticed that the blue eyed tensai could be quite ignorant when it came down to his own feelings. "You really don't like him specially at _all_, Fuji?"

            "Eiji, if you're so concerned with feelings right now, shouldn't you worry about your own first?" Fuji said gently, patting the redhead's cheek with a smile. "Don't spend so much time worrying about me, ok? It's more important to me that you're taken care of first."

            Even though those soft words were gentle and sincere, they didn't seem to be as reassuring as Fuji had hoped they would be. Kikumaru said nothing though. He simply nodded slowly and picked up his chopsticks again. If Fuji was going to be stubborn like that, then the redhead decided he would take matters into his own hands.

            Afternoon practice seemed to drag by for Oishi that day. The vice captain had been thinking nonstop about a certain redhead teammate of his. Emotions like his were hard to ignore. Even when he tried hard to forget, they seemed to linger in his mind, too much like the lingering touch of warmth. Unfortunately though, his spacing out ended up getting him hit in the head by a tennis ball.

            "Ah! Oishi-senpai! I'm so sorry!" Momoshiro called out apologetically, holding up a hand and squeezing one eye shut. The younger student quickly ran to his senpai's side, peering at him nervously. "Are you ok?"

            "Huh?" Oishi blinked at the other boy and stared at him, confused. He picked up his hand and slowly rubbed his head with a dazed expression. "What are you doing over here, Momo? Weren't you having a match with Taka-san?"

            Momoshiro blinked and twitched. He hadn't hit it _that_ hard. Maybe it wasn't his fault. Oishi-senpai seemed to be a little spaced out anyway. "Um…yes. I was having a match with Kawamura-senpai but I accidentally hit the ball over here and it kind of…hit you in the head…"

            "I was wondering why my head hurt," Oishi muttered. Smiling at his kouhai, he picked up the tennis ball by his foot and handed it to the younger boy. "It's a little unlike you to hit a ball so far away from your target, Momo. Are you distracted by something?"

            "I…well, _sort of_…" Momoshiro said shakily, nervously fingering the green ball. A light blush tinted his cheeks. He quickly glanced to the side where Echizen was standing, drenched water.

            Oishi followed the other boy's gaze, frowning when he saw the youngest member of their Regular team completely soaked. "What happened to Echizen? He should get out of those wet clothes before he catches a cold!"

            Blush intensifying, Momoshiro rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. Oishi was definitely spaced out. It was hard to ignore Kaidoh as he ran through the courts with Inui on his tail.

Apparently Inui was planning some kind of "night training" menu for the younger boy, which made Kaidoh squirm uneasily. He started running away when Inui approached him with a wicked grin. Unfortunately, as he was running, Kaidoh ran into some fellow second years carrying a water tank of drinking water for the tired tennis club members, drenching poor Echizen who happened to be standing nearby. Thank God Tezuka hadn't arrived yet. The stoic captain surely would have had all the members running fifty laps by now.

            The spiky haired second year stared silently as Oishi quickly bustled to where Echizen was removing his hat, demanding that the first year get out of the wet clothes immediately. It was winter after all! Momoshiro felt his mouth hang open slightly when Echizen grudgingly removed his shirt, gingerly wiping his upper body with a towel Inui handed him. Momoshiro got the feeling that a whole lot more of the balls he was going to hit weren't going to be in either.

            "Echizen," Inui said smoothly, pushing his glasses up his nose. He smirked as sunlight reflected off the smooth glass of his glasses and into the younger boy's eyes. The first year squinted up at his senpai. Going on, Inui asked with interest, "Is there any _special_ reason Momo is staring at you like that?"

            Flushing warmly, the smaller boy shifted his eyes to the side. Quickly he pulled on his only partially wet Regular jacket and zipped it up to cover his bare chest. Suddenly, he was glad that Oishi-senpai was fussy enough about him to grab the towel to dry his hair. Knowing Inui though, Echizen was sure the data player was sure to have seen his rosy face anyway. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Inui-senpai."

            "Of _course_ not," Inui said, nodding understandingly. He sighed mentally. When would they ever learn that lying to him just _didn't_ change the situation? Tsk, tsk. Oh well. This was how he got data anyway. "Momo, come here for a minute."

            Tugging at the collar of his shirt, Momoshiro slowly trudged towards his smirking senpai. He glanced once at Kawamura who stood blinking at him, his racquet a few feet away on the ground. He looked everywhere, except straight ahead. He knew that if he looked ahead and saw Echizen dripping wet in close proximity, he had a feeling the younger boy wouldn't have any clothes on for very much longer.

            Smiling with a satisfied expression, Inui laid a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Be a good senpai and take Echizen to the clubroom to find some dry clothes, will you? There is a 100% chance he will catch a cold at this rate."

            "Why me?!" Momoshiro exclaimed, his cheeks turning rosy. He could feel Echizen's icy glare on the back of his neck, but he didn't dare turn to look at the other boy. "I mean…why specifically me?!"

            "Well," Inui began, flipping a few pages through his notebook. "If you want the logical reason… It's because excluding Echizen and Fuji, you are the smallest Regular. Seeing that Fuji isn't here at the moment, you are the obvious choice. Also, I figured you and Echizen were rather good friends, so I assumed you both wouldn't mind."

            "How do you know I don't have clothes of my own?" Echizen asked hotly, face heating up.

            Inui smiled secretively. "It's an 86% chance you don't have any clothes other than your school uniform, and I doubt you'll be able to play in that. On the other hand, Momo always has extra clothes in case of emergency." Inui chuckled lightly. "Who ever would have thought that Momoshiro Takeshi was so paranoid?"

            "Very funny, Inui-senpai," Momoshiro muttered, sighing in defeat. Looking directly over Echizen's head, the spiky haired second year said quickly, "Come on then, Ryoma. Looks like we've got no choice."

            Oishi blinked, towel and wet shirt still in hand. Puzzled, he asked, "Since when did Momo call Echizen by his first name?"

            "Indeed," Inui said with an amused expression. Quietly, he closed his notebook and grinned. Momoshiro was too easy to figure out. The loud second year never did have a problem hiding his feelings. How very interesting indeed.

            "Way to be subtle about things, Momo-senpai," Echizen said dryly once they were out of earshot. He trudged quietly after the taller boy. He was beginning to get irritated. Why wasn't Momo-senpai looking at him? "Momo-senpai, I'm talking to you here."

            "I know," Momoshiro said seriously, still not turning around. "I'm listening."

            "Then why won't you look at me?" Echizen demanded, his skin beginning to feel cold. Goosebumps rose on his arms and legs with every squishy step of water-filled shoes he took.

            Momoshiro stopped suddenly, making the smaller boy crash into his back. "That's because," he said firmly, his face completely serious, "I'm trying very hard to ignore the condition you're in right now, Ryoma. I'm afraid that…if I turn around now, I'll ravish you. Once I see you, I won't be able to stop."

            Gravity of the other boy's words finally hitting him, Echizen felt his cheeks grow warmer, his mind spinning. He didn't bother moving away from his senpai's warm, dry back, and he knew the older boy wouldn't mind getting wet. "Haven't I said already," Echizen said quietly, leaning on the taller boy's back with bright red cheeks, "that you don't need an excuse for those kinds of things? I don't mind, Momo-senpai…"

            _I can't take it anymore._

            "Ryoma…"

            In a flash, Momoshiro sent his lips crashing onto the smaller boy's, his arms encircling the small waist to pull him closer. After a few moments in their fiery kiss, Echizen pulled away to breath. His eyes widened slightly when he felt warm kisses down his neck and a hand sliding up his Regular jacket… "M-Momo-senpai…! Not here…!"

            "I…love you, Ryoma…"

            "Oh my. You boys are all wet! You'll both catch a cold you know."

            Instantly, the two underclassmen leapt away from each other. Their eyes were both wide in shock, their faces red partially from embarrassment and partially from their warm embrace. In front of them stood a smiling Fuji and Saeki who smiled equally as calm with an arm slung sloppily around his friend's shoulders.

            "Why, Momo," Fuji said with a hint of mischief in his voice, eyes opening with a pleasant smile on his face, "I never knew you were so passionate."

            "Fuji-senpai!" Momoshiro exclaimed in shock, his face turning an impossible shade of crimson. "You two…kind of, um…startled me…"

            "As I can see," the older boy responded, his smile widening slightly. He watched the two younger boys with amusement. "Saeki's right though. You two should get inside and change your clothes. Although I'm rather interested in finding out how you both managed to get drenched, I think it's more important we protect your health, ne?"

            "H-hai…" the younger pair called out in unison, sprinting to the clubroom with visible embarrassment on their faces.

            "Ne, Momo-senpai. Is that a flashlight in your pocket?"

            "Um…n-no, Ryoma, that's…uh…never mind…"

            "Those two are quite an interesting pair," Saeki commented with a grin as Fuji chuckled quietly. Smirking, the Rokkaku player placed his other arm on Fuji's shoulders, leaning forward slightly. "Echizen and Momoshiro, was it?"

            "Yes," Fuji said with a devious smirk. He looked to his left shoulder where his friend's head rested neatly on his shoulder. Eyes glinting with humor, Fuji lifted his arm to playfully tangle his long fingers in the light hair. Smirking rather seductively, he whispered in the other boy's ear, "Don't you just wish everyone was like that?"

            "Sorry, Syusuke," Saeki said with a gentle laugh. Smirk still on his face, he winked and nipped once at the blue eyed boy's ear. "You can't play matchmaker for everyone."

            "You'll take care of that for me, won't you?" Fuji asked in return with a quiet laugh.

            "Anything for you, Syusuke."

            "_Ahem."_

            Fuji and Saeki turned their heads at the same time to see Tezuka standing behind them with an annoyed expression on his face. Fuji's smile brightened. "Good afternoon, Tezuka. You're a little late to practice today, aren't you?"

            "Apparently you're enjoying yourself being late as well," Tezuka responded sharply, glaring for a split second at Saeki. It seemed his bad mood would be getting worse. Much worse. "Get to practice, Fuji. Go before I decide to make you run laps."

            "He's very lenient on you," Saeki commented with a carefree smile as the two walked towards the courts together.

            "Yes," Fuji said, knowing very well that Tezuka could still hear them. The smile he wore on his mask slowly melted into a warm smile from his heart. Truthfully, he said cheerfully, "Tezuka is kind of sweet that way, I think."

            Even though he had heard the short exchange of words between the two, Tezuka remained rooted to the ground with no reaction. His hands slowly balled into a fist. He couldn't really explain it, but his heart hurt…

            Kikumaru dragged his feet as he headed towards the clubroom, forgetting the cold. Another practice was canceled because of the light snow. The other Regulars were all mostly a little relieved for the break, but a little disappointed as well. Disappointment because they wouldn't be able to play tennis, but relief because they could leave early to do whatever they wanted. Kikumaru on the other hand, had a "date" do deal with.

            Momoshiro and Echizen had rushed off to get hamburgers, Echizen wearing Momoshiro's jacket, Inui and Kaidoh stayed behind to practice something, Tezuka and Fuji went up to see Ryuzaki-sensei, and Oishi was asked by Tezuka to do something. It seemed as if there was no route of escape for Kikumaru. Taking his racquet bag, he slowly tip toed towards the door of the clubroom, hoping he would be able to get away.

            "Where are you going, Kikumaru-kun? Aren't you finished with practice?"

            Wincing slightly, the redhead froze at the door. Sighing inwardly, he forced a twitching smile on his face as he looked up to see Saeki smiling at him. "Ahaha… I was just…eh…"

            "That's alright," the other boy replied cheerfully, walking towards the sulking redhead. "You didn't think you'd get away from me, did you?"

            "…No…" Kikumaru sighed slightly, shuffling his feet. He tried his best to avoid the other boy's gaze. He could feel his face beginning to flush. Wasn't a date supposed to be comfortable? Twisting his fingers together, Kikumaru stared at the ground. Of all things, he was not comfortable. He felt awkward and embarrassed.

            "You don't have to be shy," Saeki said with a comforting smile. He reached out to touch the redhead's shoulder lightly. "Nothing feels right if you don't have a smile on your face. After all, it's a smile that makes hearts warm."

            "I'm sorry," Kikumaru mumbled a reply. He felt bad. Saeki was such a nice person, but he really couldn't like him. _What would Oishi think?_ "I think that I—"

            "Oh ho! Why, Eiji, are you really so careless as to stop to have a conversation underneath mistletoe?" Inui asked, coming around the corner with Kaidoh close behind, interrupting the redhead. The tall third year smiled to himself and pulled out his green notebook. "Well, what are you waiting for? You didn't think I would let you go, did you?"

            "Inui!" Kikumaru wailed at the taller boy, squeezing his hands into fists. "Give me a break! Come on…_please_!"

            "Sorry, Kikumaru," Inui apologized with a wicked grin. "That would be going against my word. Oh come now. It can't be that bad. If you'd like, we can even keep this our little secret. Of course, if Kaidoh is willing to keep quiet about this."

            Blushing, Kaidoh shifted his eyes away. "Whatever, Inui-senpai. Kikumaru-senpai, I really don't care."

            "But! But!" Kikumaru jumped up and down in distress. "_Inui! It was bad enough with Momo!"_

            Ignoring his protests, Inui turned to Saeki. "Would you mind…?"

            Saeki smiled slightly and shook his head with a faint laugh. "Sorry, Inui. I won't kiss anyone who's unwilling."

            "You didn't seem to mind with Fuji," Inui pointed out, tapping his notebook with his pen. He smirked mysteriously.

            "Ah, but it's different with Syusuke," Saeki replied cheerfully. "I know he doesn't mind. We've been like that since we were kids. He never takes any of it seriously."

            Inui stared at the smiling boy for a moment before nodding with understanding. Something told him that there were no lies in his words, maybe only a little wistfulness. Inui figured that Fuji and Saeki had a more complicated relationship then they let on. Smiling slightly, Inui pushed his glasses back into place. "Go on then with whatever you were doing."

            Relief on his face, Kikumaru said a quick word of thanks and pulled Saeki away before Inui changed his mind. The redhead didn't know what had managed to change the boy's mind, but he didn't want to stick around to find out.

            "Why'd you let them go?" Kaidoh asked out of curiosity, walking until he could see his senpai's face. "Especially after how you said you'd be going back on our word?"

            "Saeki is an interesting character," Inui said, closing his notebook. "His voice and his smile both say he'd do anything for Fuji. But there's something in his eyes that say that he's not exactly ready to give away what's most important to him yet. Not one of the feelings he supposedly has for Kikumaru is even close to the feelings he has for Fuji."

            Glancing at the taller boy's smile, Kaidoh shrugged to himself. He didn't understand much of what Inui-senpai was saying, nor did he understand the connection between Inui's analysis but it was just nice to stand next to the other boy and hear him speak normally. Who knew what kind of hidden intentions the third year had though…

            "Besides," Inui added suddenly, smirking at the younger boy, "now we've got the mistletoe to ourselves, Kaidoh."

            "Inui-senpai…!"

            "So do you have any idea what to get Fuji for Christmas?"

            Saeki smiled thoughtfully. It was nice to have Kikumaru talking to him now. Earlier, the redhead just walked in awkward silence. Now that he was talking, it meant at least some of the awkwardness was gone. "Sorry, can't say I've even got a clue."

            Frowning, Kikumaru looked up at the sky. He was doing his best to feel more at ease. Talking was the only way to relieve himself. "Fuji is so hard to figure out, nya. I thought you would know something though. Since you've been his friend for so long and all…"

            "Being with someone for a long period of time doesn't mean much," Saeki said as he watched the redhead as they walked slowly ahead. "It doesn't mean you know that person, or understand what they feel. Time doesn't matter when it comes to friendship. It just depends on how you share your heart. You see…I don't know as much about Fuji as I want to know. You're actually the one who knows most about him."

            "You…really care about Fuji, don't you?" Kikumaru asked him quietly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure when his awkward feelings melted away. All he could feel now was a kind of sadness, seeing Saeki's painfully smiling face. "Do you…like Fuji?"

            "Of course I like him," Saeki replied, his smile brightening to lighten the mood. "Don't you like him?"

            Kikumaru suddenly frowned. Why was it that whenever he began to feel serious, someone would always play the "dumb" act. First Fuji, now Saeki. It was just the slightest bit annoying. "You're just like Fuji," he mumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But you know…I think Fuji already has someone he likes. As much as I want to help him, he won't tell me."

            "Ah, Syusuke is that way," Saeki replied with a knowing smile. "I don't think Syusuke is quite ready to accept his feelings for Tezuka-san yet. He's really a stubborn person. Anyway, don't you think you should worry about your own feelings before you worry about his? I can tell he's worried about you."

            "I know he is," Kikumaru sighed, shifting his eyes. Staring at his hands, he admitted, "Fuji has always been worried about me. I'll start worrying about myself when he does the same. I'm like him though. I'm not quite sure what to feel yet… Wait a minute. How did you know I was thinking that Fuji liked Tezuka?!"

            "Oh look, we're here," Saeki said, interrupting the boy. Smiling he lifted his hand and pointed straight ahead. "Don't worry about anything, Kikumaru-kun. In just a little while, all your problems will be solved. For now…just look straight ahead."

            Slowly pacing back and forth to keep warm, Oishi rubbed his hands together. What could possibly be taking Tezuka so long? Oishi looked around grimly. Oishi had thought something was a little odd when Fuji told him Tezuka wanted to meet him at this park. Why would Tezuka want to meet in a park? Oh well, Oishi sighed to himself. He would just have to be patient and wait.

            "W…Wow! It's so…beautiful…!" Kikumaru exclaimed, jogging forward with bright eyes. In front of him were several leafless trees with sparkling icicles on each bare branch. The snow falling gently from the sky made everything seem more magical though. The icicles glittered in the late afternoon sun, making it seem like diamonds slowly dripping from the sky.

            "I thought you'd like it," Saeki said with a laugh. Quickly, he scanned the area for someone. Fuji and Tezuka were supposed to send that person here, after all. "It's pretty, isn't it? It seems we did a good job then."

            "What do you mean?" Kikumaru asked, looking at the boy with curiosity. "Did you really do this?"

            "Kind of," Saeki responded with a smile. "We heard it was going to snow today, so last night we came here and sprayed the trees with water. They froze after a while and became like this. I suppose it's more like a gift from the God and the goddess of winter."

            "Who's 'we'?" the redhead asked, turning around completely now. "This looks like a lot of work. It would have to take at least three people to do this! Wait…"

            Finally spotting "that person" standing conveniently in the middle of the small area of icicle covered trees, Saeki smirked. Fuji always had things so well planned out. "Ah, sorry, Kikumaru-kun. Looks like there's a prince waiting for you in the forest of ice."

            "Hey!" Kikumaru shouted in surprise as the smiling Saeki quickly, but still gently, pushed him into the center of the icicle trees area. Stumbling forward, the redhead felt his foot slip on some ice…

            "Eiji!"

            …and suddenly, warm arms were around him, catching him from falling.

            Kikumaru squeezed his eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them again. Arms were around his waist, and he was pressed up against a warm chest. Slowly he looked up, ready to apologize. "I-I'm so sor—… Oishi?"

            "A-Ah! Sorry, Eiji!" Oishi quickly stuttered, face turning crimson as he removed his arms from around his partner. "I was just…you…"

            There was an awkward silence between them for a moment. Both eyed each other shyly, faces warm with a blush. Finally, Oishi spoke up. "I-It's…kind of cold out here today…"

            "I…think it's the trees, Oishi," Kikumaru responded, glancing at his partner.

            "A-ah…that's right, huh…" Oishi stammered a response, staring down at his hands nervously. Kikumaru suddenly burst out laughing. Snapping his head back up, Oishi blinked at the redhead, a slow smile spreading across his face. "What's so funny, Eiji?"

            "You!" Kikumaru panted between laughs. Lifting an arm up to the other boy's shoulder, the redhead leaned against him lightly. "Oishi, your face is all red!"

            "Well, so is yours," Oishi retorted, smiling a little wider. Trust Kikumaru to be the first to laugh when the situation became awkward. "I don't think I can tell the difference between your hair and your face anymore."

            "Hey!" Kikumaru exclaimed, poking Oishi's cheek. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly drew his hand away and looked to the side. "Sorry…"

            Oishi sighed softly, looking at his friend. "Eiji," he began slowly, "I feel like…things have been a little awkward between us lately. I'm not quite sure why though… I mean, I really can't stand not being able to see you smile everyday. I guess it's kind of lonely when you aren't beside me, laughing like you do. This is the first time in the past few days that I've been able to hear you laugh and see your smile. After all that time I've been without it…I think I would prefer it if you were always close to me, smiling."

            "Because," Kikumaru began slowly, beginning to recall Saeki's words as he lifted his face to look into his partner's eyes, "'it's a smile that makes hearts warm,' right?"

            "Yes," Oishi responded with a gentle smile, kissing the top of the other boy's head, "That's right. That's why whenever you're here, my heart is warmer. Do you mind, Eiji? Would you mind…if I told you that my heart…belongs to you?"

            "Not really," Kikumaru responded quietly, leaning heavier on his partner. "I think it's only fair I have yours…since you already stole mine away. Oishi, I understand it now. At first I wasn't sure, and I didn't understand it, but now I realize it. I don't want to be with anyone but you. Hold my heart for me, Oishi. Not only your smile, but your embrace warms it as well."

            "We're the Golden Pair, Eiji," Oishi said with a warm smile. Now he understood what Tezuka had been trying to tell him. _"Teammate, friend, partner, the one you care about most… I guess it depends on your choice of words. It's all the same after all."_ "We'll share everything. Victories and defeats, happiness and sadness… I will keep all of your feelings inside of me until I understand each one. From now on, we'll share our hearts too."

            "I…love you…Oishi…"

            Oishi smiled. Closing his eyes with a gentle smile, he reached out and embraced his partner. It didn't matter what the world thought of love, even if it is wrong. Love has no shape or form. No one can see love in the person that's right, nor can they choose where it lies. Love is unexplainable, but always has a hidden purpose that only God can explain. Lifting the redhead's face towards his, Oishi closed his eyes and leaned forward to taste those sweet lips. "I love you too, Eiji. Always."

            "Ne, Oishi," Kikumaru whispered after they broke their kiss, smiling into Oishi's chest. "I just thought of something. What were you doing here?"

            Blinking, Oishi responded carefully, "Fuji told me Tezuka wanted to meet me here. What were you doing here?"

            Pulling away, Kikumaru blinked up at his partner with an equally confused expression. "Saeki brought me here. He's also the one that pushed me over here! Ne, Oishi! Do you think Fuji planned this all?!"

            Sighing, Oishi stared helplessly up at the sky. "Seems like a scheme Fuji would come up with. I have a feeling Tezuka was in on it… Maybe even Saeki too."

            "What should we do, Oishi?" Kikumaru asked, arms still around his partner.

            "I suppose…" Oishi began, beginning to smile down at the redhead. "We have to show our thanks for their lovely Christmas gift, don't you think, Eiji? Besides, I think I just figured out what Tezuka _and_ Fuji would like for Christmas."

            A slow smile spread across Kikumaru's face. "Looks like you have the same idea I have. We really are the Golden Pair."

            "Heh, looks like you two are up to something."

            "S-Saeki!" Kikumaru yelped, jumping slightly as the light haired boy approached them with a pleasant smile. "I forgot that you… I mean… Sorry, I didn't mean to…eh…"

            "Not to worry about a thing," Saeki said quickly, waving his hand. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a hand in your 'gift' to those two."

            "Are you…sure…?" Kikumaru asked slowly, remembering the way the boy had looked before. "I thought you…"

            "I'm like you, Kikumaru-kun," Saeki said, grinning mischievously, "I want to get Syusuke a good present for Christmas. But then, like him, I also like to meddle."

            "I guess it's ok then," Oishi said, a smile crossing his face. "I have a plan too. Here, I'll explain it all and we can start in the morning…"

---

**A/N:** Ah! Sorry for the long wait, everyone! .o! *bow bow bow bow bow bow*  
xD although I'd love to run around and blame it on someone, it's probably just my fault for procrastinating. *sweatdrop* very sorry… the chapters just keep getting longer! X_x;;;

I guess there's really just too much I want to write. ^^;

Well! First I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed and have been patient with me. T_T; you guys are so great! Thank you very much! And another thank you to Rose-san who helped beta read this chapter. Hopefully it's a little better than the others! ^^;;;

Oh, and I just wanted to make a note on Fuji's Santa comment. xD I was trying to work in something like, "Did you know that 'Santa' is actually a rescramble of 'Satan?'"  
*haha* I went around school spreading that, and I just thought it seemed like something Fuji would say, but I didn't manage to squeeze it in. ^_^;;

  
Height issue: yes, Momoshiro is actually the next shortest after Fuji and Echizen with the height of 170 cm. ^^; Kaidoh is 171 cm, but I guess Momo's hair makes him look taller than he already is xD (I know their heights for a fact from that one Kiss of Prince CD thing… o.o) ok. Now I'm done ranting. *skips off with her 221 PoT songs* ßobsession xD

**Next Chapter:** What is the Golden Pair's plan, and how is Saeki taking part? Will cocky Fuji ever get a taste of his own medicine? (*cough* _) What will poor babysitter Tezuka have to deal with next?

Ok. Enough of the television broadcast xD Please review if you can! Thanks for sticking to the story for so long! ^_^;; *tosses candy around in the air*


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** ...go away. I hate you ;;;

            Deep Snow

                        by: yukuro

            Having a steaming cup of hot chocolate in a cold winter morning would usually always make people warm and content. In Tezuka's case, however, he was starting to feel more and more sick watching Fuji dump amazing amounts of sugar into his cup. Tezuka twitched slightly. There goes the seventh packet...

            "Are you alright, Tezuka?" Fuji asked sweetly, proceeding to open the eighth packet of sugar. "You're looking a little green."

            Saying nothing in response, Tezuka took a sip from his own cup and gently set it down with a displeased expression on his face. If his cup was too sweet for him already, he was sure he _definitely_ did not want to try Fuji's cup. Pushing the cup away slightly, Tezuka returned his gaze to the smiling boy. "Are you sure it's a good idea to be sitting around here and not keeping an eye on Oishi and Kikumaru?"

            Fuji blinked and chuckled, finally putting the sugar down. Stirring and taking a sip from his cup, he replied cheerfully, "I know things will turn out fine. Besides, I trust Saeki to help me out. Besides," Fuji's deep blue eyes opened shine dazzlingly at Tezuka with a glimmer of wickedness, "I had no idea you would actually suggest spying on them."

            Frowning, Tezuka stared straight back into Fuji's eyes until they closed again. He watched as Fuji happily drank from his cup, sickened by how it was even possible to drink so much sugar. Shaking his head slightly, Tezuka looked up at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't we be getting to school soon?"

            "Ah, but there's no morning practice today," Fuji said, waving his hand out towards the snow building up outside to prove his point. Grinning, he motioned to Tezuka's cup, "Besides, you've barely drank a sip of your drink. It'll get cold."

            "Let it," Tezuka said, standing up to pull his jacket on over his school uniform. Even with the winter uniforms, it was still cold out. "It's too sweet for me anyway."

            Smiling in amusement as he finished his cup, Fuji set it down, shocking Tezuka that there was very little sugar at the bottom of the cup. Reaching over to pick up Tezuka's cup, Fuji chuckled to himself. "Drink a little more, Tezuka," Fuji said with a laugh, picking up a cup of hot water from the table to pour into Tezuka's cup. "If you don't, this won't feel like a real date."

            "Probably because it's _not_," Tezuka responded dryly, but taking the cup anyway. He found it annoying that he couldn't seem to say "no" to Fuji. That would most likely end up as a very bad thing.

Closing his eyes, Tezuka drained then cup as fast as he could. He was slightly surprised the way a little hot water could change the taste so drastically. "Happy now?" Tezuka muttered. Placing the cup down, he noticed he had at least three packets worth of sugar at the bottom of his cup. Shooting a sharp glance at Fuji, Tezuka pushed the cup away, beginning to feel sick again. "Fuji, did you...?"

            Smiling innocently as he put his jacket on, Fuji chuckled softly. Picking up a napkin, he replied with a twisted smile, "You were spacing out so much this morning, I just had to test to see how long it would take for you to notice I was putting sugar in your cup. I was on the second packet. You're so fun to tease, Tezuka."

            Tezuka was too busy glaring at the ground to notice that Fuji had come around the table. The slight touch at his lips with a napkin startled him to look up quickly. Fuji smiled too much like a housewife as he gently wiped Tezuka's lips, making the taller boy flush very, very slightly. "Fuji, what..."

            "Hush, Tezuka," Fuji said softly, his smile still curving his lips. Wiping Tezuka's soft lips clean, Fuji pulled the napkin away with a satisfied grin. "I told you that you were spacing out," Fuji said, napkin still in hand. He grinned. "I wouldn't want my well-respected captain to go out with chocolate covered lips, now do I? Not that I would mind, of course. Tezuka, you're so cute."

            Resisting the urge to push Fuji down and make him beg for mercy was very difficult to do. Tezuka's hand twitched. Quickly looking away, Tezuka stared off into a random corner, where a couple happened to be making out.  Way to redirect the gaze, he thought dryly to himself. Beginning to feel sick again, Tezuka just squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a headache coming on. "Let's just go already."

            "If you say so," Fuji responded cheerfully, picking up his bag, and hanging it over his shoulder. Proceeding towards the door, the smiling boy called over his shoulder, "Come on, Tezuka. We'll be late, you know."

            Tezuka sighed to himself, opening his eyes again. Just as he picked up his bag, a waiter came to clean up their table. The waiter smiled sympathetically at Tezuka. "Is that your girlfriend? She's very cute. And in boys' uniform..."

            "That's not my girlfriend," Tezuka responded darkly, but still politely, "and he _is_ a boy."

            Walking towards the door where Fuji was waiting for him, Tezuka just barely heard the waiter muttering with a dazed expression, "Wow..."

            "You find something interesting to talk about with the waiter back there?" Fuji asked with his usual smile plastered onto his face as he opened the door. He shivered slightly when the cold air hit the exposed skin on his neck, but smiled up at Tezuka anyway. "Looks like there will be plenty of snow for Christmas this year."

            Simply glancing at Fuji, Tezuka braced himself for the cold, and walked out. There were too many mixed feelings he had for Fuji to allow himself to hang around the blue eyed boy too long. Just being with him the past few days drove Tezuka to the brinks of insanity. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stay dignified.

            "Ne, Tezuka," Fuji said brightly, looking up at the taller boy from his side. "Speaking of Christmas, what kind of gift do you want?"

            "Nothing," Tezuka said bluntly, not even bothering to look at the younger boy.

            "Ah, you can't say that," the blue eyed boy went on, smiling sweetly. "I'll have to pick something out randomly for you, and then you'll probably end up with something boring. Like socks or a toothbrush. Maybe even a condom."

            Tezuka's eye twitched. If he wasn't more stable with his reactions, he may have fallen over. He was doing his best not to react too much to please Fuji, but he couldn't stop his eye from twitching.

            "Not that you'd ever need one of those of course," Fuji drawled with a devious grin. His blue eyes fluttered open for a moment to rest on Tezuka's face, before they disappeared into his smile again. "Isn't that right, Tezuka?"

            "You're going to have one in your mouth if you don't stop talking," the taller boy snapped irritably. Yes, the gates of insanity were so near... Just a little further and he could touch them...

            "That would be a nice Christmas present," Fuji said with an amused smile as he fixed his gaze straight ahead. "Except I can think of better things to be in my mouth. Ne, Tezuka?"

            Pin, pon. Tezuka just kicked open the gates of the realm of insanity and ran in. Stopping abruptly, he turned to his side and grabbed Fuji's slim shoulders, pinning him to a wall. He stared straight into Fuji's twinkling deep blue eyes and leaned closer.

            "Something wrong?" Fuji questioned, smile still strained on his face. The beating of his heart was so loud, Fuji was almost sure that Tezuka could hear it, especially at their close proximity.

            Glaring seriously at the smiling face before him, Tezuka brought his face a little closer until their noses were almost touching. Fuji's partly opened lips were too close for his mind to be free. He was running deeper into insanity when he muttered quietly, "I'm thinking of something I can put in your mouth right now that can properly keep you quiet."

            "Oh, really now?" Fuji asked with a smirk as he gently pushed one of Tezuka's hands off his shoulder. His blue eyes narrowed with amusement. Slowly, he brought Tezuka's long fingers up to his lips and licked the tip of one. "You're rather dirty, Tezuka. Ah...and here I was thinking that you'd think I was disgusting."

            "Didn't your mother ever teach you not lick people's fingers?" Tezuka asked as Fuji playfully but quickly licked another. "You never know where they've been."

            "I think your hands are clean," Fuji said confidently, pulling Tezuka's fingers away from his lips to smirk up at the taller boy. "Want to find out where you can put your fingers though?"

            "Hn," Tezuka said simply, a smirk tugging at his own lips. Oh, dancing in insanity was so much fun. Slowly, he brought his thumb to trace over Fuji's lower lip. They were soft and rosy; too hard to resist. Fuji's eyes fluttered closed again, shivering slightly as he felt the cold wall against his back. Tezuka drew his hand away from Fuji's lips to tangle his fingers in the boy's soft hair. Slowly, he leaned closer to those delicious looking lips...

            "Morning, Buchou!"

            "You shouldn't interrupt them, Momo-senpai," a familiar voice interjected. "This'll probably the only chance we'll ever get to see Buchou come close to molesting someone."

            ...and then, someone slapped a collar and leash on him, and dragged him back out of insanity. Closing and locking the gates in the process. Tezuka instantly drew away from Fuji, distancing him as much as possible, without making it seem too unnatural.

           "It's Fuji-senpai," Echizen confirmed, holding his hand out towards the frowning purple eyed boy. "You owe me ¥500, Momo-senpai."

            "Aha! But we never shook on it, so I don't have to pay!" Momoshiro exclaimed loudly, apparently not seeing the annoyed expression twitching on Tezuka's face.

            "Don't be cheap, Momo-senpai," the shorter boy said with a frown. "You wouldn't have said that if you won."

            "Oh yeah, well-"

            "Momoshiro, Echizen," Tezuka said firmly, glaring at the two boys. "Fifty laps. Now."

            Momoshiro blinked and exchanged glances with the shorter boy beside him. "But Buchou, we don't have practice today, and we're not even at school yet."

            "Eighty laps," Tezuka said again, making Fuji chuckle lightly.

            "...ok, ok!" Momoshiro said, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at Echizen who just climbed on the back of his bicycle again. Grinning, he commented cheerfully, "Looks like we've got an excuse to be late to class this time, eh Ryoma?"

            "Just go already," the younger boy mumbled, pulling his hat down slightly to cover his darkening cheeks. "After I'm done running, I'm going to class. You'll be running all your laps by yourself."

            "Yeah right," Momoshiro said loudly as they rode down the street. "I'll be done running before you even finish half of your laps."

            "Shut up, Momo-senpai. You're the slowest Regular of all."

            "Am not!"

            "Are too!"

            "Am no-..."

            Tezuka blocked the two younger boys' bickering out before adjusting his glasses which had become crooked. Addressing Fuji, he muttered, "This is all your fault."

            "Isn't everything?" Fuji asked with a smile, pushing himself off the wall. "Don't forget though, Tezuka. _You're_ the one who pinned _me_ down. Hmm... Looks like we'll be discussing your Christmas present later then."

            "No, we won't," Tezuka said stonily, straightening out his school uniform rigidly. "Let's just go to school."

            Fuji simply chuckled as he ran to catch up with the taller boy. "You know, if I bruise, you'll have to be the one to take care of it."

            Not bothering to reply, Tezuka shuffled ahead, completely embarrassed about what had happened. He was so close though. That was the way destiny seemed to enjoy taunting him though. Suddenly, eighty laps didn't seem like enough to punish Momoshiro and Echizen anymore. They should be punished with one thousand laps for interrupting his time with Fuji.

--

            Fuji had arrived at school and sat in his classroom with a pleased expression on his face. Tezuka had been a very good target to tease and Fuji took that chance to his advantage. The only thing that bothered him, however, was that now that Kikumaru and Oishi had been set up, there was really no other reason for him to be with Tezuka all the time anymore.

The thought upset the blue eyed boy slightly, thinking back on how much he had enjoyed Tezuka's silent company. Things would go back to the way they were before, and Tezuka would once again be just Fuji's captain. There was nothing wrong with that, Fuji thought, but yet still why did he feel so annoyed?

            The blue eyed boy looked up when the classroom door opened again and Kikumaru stepped inside with a solemn expression. Pasting a smile on his face, Fuji cheerfully waved his friend over. He continued to smile brightly at the redhead as he sat down. "How did yesterday with Saeki turn out?"

            "Fine," Kikumaru said simply and vaguely, closing his eyes. He did notice Fuji's smile twitching very slightly before he did so though. His vision would never fail him.

            "I see..." Fuji said slowly, eyeing the boy in front of him. "Well then. There was no morning practice today, but have you seen Oishi around this morning?"

            "I might have," the redhead said distantly, staring out the window. He squinted his eyes as if he were concentrating on a speck in the sky. "I haven't really noticed him around. Or maybe I just haven't been paying attention, I guess."

            "Is that so?" the other boy responded, smile still on his face. He did note there was something different about his best friend, but said nothing about it. There was definitely something Kikumaru was trying to keep from him, which was very unlike the bouncy redhead indeed.

            Fuji had just started to get used to Kikumaru excitedly telling him about every little thing that happened in his life. The smiling boy never would have discovered that there were different flavors of toothpaste if it weren't for his best friend. Interesting the way things were now.

            "What about you?" Kikumaru asked lightly, still staring out the window with his fingers tracing the desk slightly. "Have you seen Tezuka around?"

            "Maybe I have," Fuji responded, his eyes opening for a second before slipping away again. "That's not very important though."

            The redhead frowned slightly at the window, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his best friend. Carrying on awkward conversations was really _not_ his specialty. Kikumaru pouted slightly, wondering when this would be over with. He wanted to tell Fuji so many things, but... "Saeki then. He didn't come with you today?"

            "He's visiting Yuuta in St. Rudolf for the morning today," said Fuji as eyed his best friend. "He'll be around here in the afternoon. You get along better with him then you were letting on then?"

            "Maybe." The redhead was really growing tired of these vague answers. He felt like he was going to explode if he didn't say something! It was too hard for him to talk like this with his best friend!

            Fuji's eyes suddenly snapped open and narrowed at the redhead's face. "Is there something wrong, Eiji?" he asked instantly. By now he was curious and even slightly worried. "I'm your best friend. You can tell me things without being too worried about it, Eiji."

            "I know," Kikumaru mumbled, fiddling his fingers. "T-There's a lot of things I want to tell you too, but..." he looked up with watery eyes as he jumped up to his feet. "Can we _please_ not talk about Oishi?!"

            The shorter boy stared in complete surprise as his friend plopped down in the seat next to him with tear-filled eyes. Just as Fuji opened his mouth to say something to his friend, the teacher walked in and all the students rose to their feet. Brows furrowing, Fuji closed his mouth as he bowed with the rest of his class but with his eyes locked on Kikumaru. He hadn't been expecting _that_. It seemed that his time with Tezuka was about to be extended.

            Kikumaru kept his mouth shut for the rest of the morning, only speaking when the teacher called on him. A few of his classmates kept turning around to look at him, since they all witnessed his little outburst before class. The moment the bell rang for lunch, the redhead grabbed his lunch, jumped up, and raced out of the room, feeling sorry he had to ditch Fuji.

            He ran until he was out of the out of the building and around towards the back. Leaning against the icy wall, he caught his breath, sitting down slowly. Kikumaru stared up at the sky absent-mindedly, wondering how he had gotten himself into such a mess.

            "Oh, Eiji, you're already here?" Oishi asked with a gentle smile as he rounded the corner to meet the redhead. Seating himself down next to his partner, Oishi directed his caring smile at him. "Are you alright?"

            "It's so hard, nya!" Kikumaru called out in frustration, hands on his head. He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment before opening them to blink at his partner. The moment he saw that kind smile, Kikumaru's face quickly tinted red. "O-Oishi, I think that F-Fuji is..."

            "I'm sorry, Eiji," the taller boy said soothingly, reaching out to cup the other boy's face. Oishi's gentle smile widened slightly when the redhead blushed more darkly, closing his eyes and leaning slowly into his touch. "This must be too much to ask of you. If it hurts you so much, we can just tell Saeki we want to drop out."

            "I...don't want to be a quitter, Oishi," Kikumaru said softly, moving closer to his partner shyly. "Besides...I guess I at least owe Fuji this much, s-since he and Tezuka gave me the best present I could ever get. Oishi..."

            Oishi's face brightened as he leaned closer to place a kiss on his partner's forehead. He opened his arms, and Kikumaru slowly, but surely moved into them. The green eyed boy wasn't sure if this was a dream or not, but if it was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. "Eiji," he breathed into the redhead's hair, "I never knew why, but you always felt so warm in my arms... Even now..."

            Kikumaru's face heated up further when Oishi pulled him closer until he was on his partner's lap. He tilted his face up and his eyes opened slightly in surprise when his partner slowly kissed his neck.

            Squeezing his eyes shut again, the redhead shyly tightened his hold on Oishi, his hands balling the boy's shirt into clumps. He yelped in surprise when his partner unbuttoned the top few buttons of his uniform and licked a snowflake that had fallen on his shoulder. "Oishi!"

            Realizing what he was doing, Oishi quickly pulled his lips away, bright blush on his face. "I...sorry, Eiji... I was trying so hard to control myself, but I... I'm so sorry, Eiji."

            "D-don't apologize," Kikumaru said softly, turning his still bright face in the opposite direction. He shifted slightly on Oishi's lap. "W-whatever you're stopping yourself from, Oishi... I don't mind. As long as it's you..."

            "Eiji..."

            "But I..." Kikumaru muttered slowly as he twisted his fingers together, "I...am really cold."

            Oishi blinked a few times, before smiling sheepishly. Without thinking, he pulled off his second jacket and draped it around his partner's shoulders. "I guess it was kind of stupid of us to meet outside during winter. Sorry, Eiji. Let's go inside and find somewhere warmer."

            "I don't need to go anywhere," the redhead said, smiling softly at his partner. "Besides, someone will see us and spill to Fuji and Tezuka," he muttered reasonably. He leaned forward until was resting on the boy's chest. Lifting his face until their lips were millimeters apart, he said with a sweet smile before leaning in to kiss Oishi's lips, "Itadakimasu."

            Oishi let his eyes flutter closed with a small, content smile quirking at his lips as Kikumaru kissed him. Maybe the redhead was right after all. As long as they were together, the snow didn't feel cold anymore.

           Wrapping his arm around Kikumaru's waist, Oishi kissed back, deepening their fiery kiss slightly. When the redhead pulled away for breath with a darkened red face, Oishi said cheerfully, "Gouchisosama deshita."

            The Golden Pair laughed to themselves. Taking the lid off of his bento, Kikumaru picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and held it up to Oishi's lips with a wide smile. "How about eating real food now?"

            "I liked your lips better," Oishi said teasingly, but eating the food offered to him. Picking up some food from his own box, he said with a bright smile, "Your turn!"

            It was true after all. As long as they were together, nothing else in the world mattered anymore. The snow didn't feel cold and the wind didn't feel harsh. All they could feel was the warmth of each other's arms.

--

            After Kikumaru bolted from the room, Fuji stood up, frowning. There was definitely something wrong, and he didn't like it. Forgetting his lunch, the blue eyed boy swiftly walked out of his classroom and down the hall. He passed by Oishi's classroom, and noticed the boy wasn't inside eating as usual. Hmm. Suspicious. Continuing down the hall, Fuji next bumped into everyone's favorite annoyingly meddling, but still lovable pair.

           "Ah, Fuji-senpai! Come here!" Momoshiro called out loudly, waving the shorter boy over. Echizen, who was sitting across the small desk from his loud purple eyed senpai, muttered something about the idiot being too loud and directed his gaze back to his food.

            "Is there something you need, Momo?" Fuji asked pleasantly, smile in place as he approached the two underclassmen.

            Momoshiro blinked for a moment. "Eh...not really. I just thought it was kind of weird to see you wandering around during lunch. Don't you usually eat with Eiji-senpai?"

            "Eiji ran off unexpectedly," Fuji said, his smile never faltering. "I'm looking for Tezuka. I've got something I need to discuss with him. Have you see him around?"

            "Buchou left his classroom a little while ago," Echizen informed the blue eyed boy carelessly, taking a sip of his drink. "He was heading towards Oishi-senpai's class."

            "Oishi-senpai isn't in his classroom though," Momoshiro said, staring up at the ceiling with concentration. "I saw him leave with his lunch earlier. Senpai-tachi sure are being sneaky lately. Don't you think, Echizen?"

            The shorter boy said nothing in response and continued eating his food passively. Some times he wondered why he ever put up with Momo-senpai's idiocy.

            Fuji's eyes opened for a second as he studied the two boys. Closing his eyes in a smile again, he asked carelessly, "So then... Have you two heard anything from Eiji today? Or Oishi, since you saw him?"

            "Oh, if you're talking about what happened between them," Momoshiro said suddenly, raising his chopsticks, "I think it was something about them being in a bad position. Apparently something bad happened between them. Not sure what though."

            "Really?" Fuji asked, partly with mild interest but with a serious expression. He didn't think anything bad could have happened the day before. After all, Saeki was with them even if Fuji himself wasn't. Turning his face towards the hallway, the blue eyed boy muttered quietly, "I guess I had better go find Tezuka then."

            "You don't really need to," Echizen muttered suddenly, pointing his chopsticks over Fuji's shoulder. "Buchou's right over there."

            Before Fuji could mutter a quiet thanks and quickly slip away, Momoshiro jumped to his feet with a huge grin and waved out towards the stoic third year. "Oi, Buchou! Your wife's been looking for you!"

            Tezuka, who was unfortunately walking down a hall filled with may students trying to get lunch, had to resist throwing something at Momoshiro. A few of the students around him giggled slightly and looked around to see who Momoshiro was indicating. Clenching his fist, Tezuka stiffly turned his head to look at the innocently grinning Momoshiro.

            "You're going to be running laps," Fuji told Momoshiro cheerfully as he walked towards Tezuka. "I recommend you eat quickly, and not too much so you don't get sick along the way."

            "Momoshiro, twenty laps after you're finished eating."

            Echizen grinned to himself as the boy across from him protested loudly but quickly. It was almost funny the way whenever Fuji was mentioned in a suggesting way to Tezuka, the unfortunate person speaking would be running laps, probably around the school. He felt the slightest bit sorry for Momoshiro, but he wouldn't let the older boy know that. The loud purple eyed boy would probably end up dragging Echizen along somehow.

            The short first year grumbled to himself as Momoshiro sudden turned to him with a sickeningly sweet smile. Echizen completely tuned him out when he asked for company. After this morning's eighty laps, he was _not_ in the mood to run more. Especially since he didn't do anything, after all.

            Fuji quickly strode over to where Tezuka was standing with his stoic mask in place, yet a flicker of almost annoyance in his eyes. The moment the blue eyed boy stood in front of the taller, his smile dropped and his eyes opened. "I need to talk to you."

            "About what?" Tezuka asked, looking straight back into those blue eyes. He had thought that Fuji wouldn't be hanging around him as much after he had gotten the Golden Pair together. "I thought we were finished."

            "Nn," Fuji muttered with a slight smirk. "You can't get rid of me that easily. Besides, I think we've got a problem."

            Tezuka nearly sighed in exasperation. Well this was a first. One of Fuji's schemes didn't work. Turning to walk down the hall slowly, he muttered quietly, "What'd you do this time?"

            "I'm not too sure," Fuji began as he followed Tezuka, his heart slightly fuller, "but Eiji was kind of strange this morning..."

            "What do you think they're talking about, Ryoma?" Momoshiro asked the younger boy, suddenly forgetting about begging him to pay him company. The second year slowly sank back into his seat, eyes locked on where Fuji and Tezuka were previously whispering to each other.

            "Who knows?" the younger boy replied dully, poking his food with his chopsticks. "There's a reason they're being all quiet about it. Besides, I don't think they would tell you anyway, Momo-senpai."

            "Think there's any specific reason Eiji-senpai and Oishi-senpai asked us to tell Fuji-senpai that?" Momoshiro asked with a grin.

            "Momo-senpai, you meddle too much," Echizen replied in a flat voice, closing his eyes.

            Turning to face the boy, Momoshiro suddenly frowned, leaning forward slightly. "Ne, Ryoma," he began, a displeased look on his face, "why is it that I call you by your first name, and yet you won't call me by my first name? You don't like me as much as you say you do," the boy accused, poking Echizen's cheek. "You still call me 'Momo-senpai' like everyone else."

            "It would be obvious to everyone if I called you by your given name," the younger boy flatly replied, opening his large, golden eyes to peer into purple ones. "Are you that eager to let everyone know about us?"

           "Are you that eager to keep it a secret?" Momoshiro asked, his frown deepening. Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Oh, well I think you're just afraid."

            "Afraid of _what_?" the younger boy demanded hotly, now frowning at his senpai across from him. "Momo-senpai, why do you always have to let us fight about stupid things?"

            Scoffing, the older boy childishly replied, "You were the one who told me to call you 'Ryoma.' What's wrong with me asking you to call me by _my_ name?"

            "What if Inui-senpai finds out?" Echizen asked sharply, finding his cheeks to be warming slightly. "We'll never hear the end of it. Fuji-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai too."

            "I really don't care what they think," Momoshiro said, opening his eyes to stare across the table at the shorter boy. "Do you?"

            "I guess not," Echizen mumbled, shifting his eyes towards the window. "Momo-senpai, can we drop this subject for now? You're acting like a spoiled brat."

            "Ha!" Momoshiro laughed with wide eyes, pointing a finger straight at Echizen's nose. "This coming from the one that everyone calls 'gaki!'"

            "Hn, whatever," Echizen muttered, lowering his head slightly. Closing his eyes, Echizen felt his cheeks grow darker as he quickly mumbled, "You're more of a brat then me...Takeshi...senpai..."

            Blinking a few times, Momoshiro found a smile stretching across his face. Beaming warmly at the younger boy, he leaned over and cupped his ear. "What was that, Ryoma? I didn't quite hear you."

            "...too bad," the younger boy said with a cracked voice, his face beet red. "Blame it on your poor hearing, Takeshi-senpai."

            "Ah! You said my name again!" Momoshiro cried happily, jumping up to glomp the younger boy who was cursing under his breath. "You're so cute, Ryoma! I just want to kiss you!"

            "Ahem."

            The pair sitting by the window turned to see Kaidoh with a slight blush on his face, pointing to something above their heads. Both instinctively looked up at the same time and blushed when the saw the mistletoe that had just been hung up. Stuffing his hands on his pockets, Kaidoh walked away, cheeks still rosy. "Hn. Merry Christmas."

            Momoshiro happily tightened his hold on the younger boy as Kaidoh left the room, leaving them alone. "All of a sudden, I love that mamushi."

            "Then go kiss _him_," Echizen grumbled, squirming in the older boy's arms slightly to get himself in a more comfortable position. Looking up into his senpai's affection filled purple eyes made Echizen stop moving and melt into his arms. "I guess," he muttered quietly, shifting his gaze slightly, "I'll let you have it this time. Since I feel kind of bad for you...and you'll never beat me anywhere else."

            The older boy smiled despite the insult. "Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while, Ryoma."

            "You had better...Takeshi-senpai..."

--

            "Kaidoh, what happened to the mistletoe I told you to hang in the clubroom above Tezuka's spot?" Inui asked the second year as Kaidoh slowly stalked towards him.

            "...ssss..." the still blushing second year mumbled, hands in his pockets. "Momoshiro got what he wanted for Christmas."

            "I see," Inui said with a mysterious smile, correcting his glasses. Quickly stepping in front of the shorter boy with an arm blocking his way, Inui smirked down at Kaidoh, holding up a sprig of mistletoe above their heads with his other hand. "Shall I get what I want for Christmas then?"

            "Pervert. You had that planned," Kaidoh accused with a hiss, glaring up at his senpai. Yet, still he didn't bother to writher away when Inui loomed over him with a large smile on his face. "Inui-senpai, you can't always get what you want."

            "From you, I can," Inui said seriously, his back blocking Kaidoh from view. "So then...can I see if the clothes measurements I have for you are correct?"

            "...Inui-senpai...in all due respect...do you _want_ to die?!"

            "Sure, if you let me see if my data's correct."

            "...you're going to get hurt, Inui-senpai."

            "Ah, with you, that's the part I'm looking forward to. Except when you speak that way, I'll be sure to have our roles switched. Don't worry, Kaidoh. I'll be very gentle. You're quite adorable when you're flustered and angry, you know."

            "..."

---

**A/N:** o.o; Muahahah. Gotta love Inui and his mistletoe craziness x_X; well, anyway, I have to admit this is getting pretty sad of me. *sweatdrop* honestly. Christmas fic stretched out to February... _ _|||

This was originally going to be the last chapter, but for some reason, I had the impulse to add in a bunch of extra scenes that weren't originally planned (the morning hot chocolate scene, Kaidoh and Inui, etc. etc...) Also, this was delayed for a little while since ff.net was giving me all kinds of problems -_-; the formatting got bad to the point where I started using lines to separate the scenes. Being the picky person I am, I just don't like that x____x;;

Yes, very lame of me for going on for so long and the chapters are just getting bigger! _;; _Hopefully_ next chapter is the last. *people cheer* -.-;;

If I'm lucky, I can get the next one out by St. Valentine's Day. O_o; then it'll be a Christmas/Valentine thing. *large sweatdrop* that is so very pathetic xDD

Note: "Itadakimasu" is what you would normally say before eating. Kind of like grace. "Gochisousama deshita" is after a meal. ^^;

**Next Chapter:** The Golden Pair plus one complete their mission, but is it successful? Apparently, Inui's been busy with more mistletoe...

*more sweatdrops* thanks for reading, and review if possible~ n_n;;


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer:** yes, I love you too.

            Deep Snow

                        by: yukuro

            It wasn't exactly an awkward silence that hung between them. Tezuka and Fuji sat side by side in an empty classroom during lunch. Tezuka had his usual grim expression on his face and Fuji with the same smile he always had.

            They sat quietly, not sure of what exactly to say, but it wasn't exactly an uncomfortable silence they had. Tezuka actually found himself quite content just sitting next to the smiling boy. Yet Fuji's silence was something that slowly began to bring questioning up. If Fuji was silent about something, there was definitely something wrong.

            "So you're saying," Tezuka said slowly, leaning back against a wall, "that Oishi and Kikumaru are worse off than before?"

            "I can't say so for sure, but I'm just the slightest bit worried," Fuji commented in a soft voice, bringing his hand up to his face. "Eiji was definitely acting strangely earlier, and Momo said something about hinting towards something bad, I think. He was rather vague."

            "…and you take Momoshiro's word on it?" Tezuka asked a bit dryly, closing his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't trust Momoshiro, it was just that something about the situation seemed like some kind of hoax. "Maybe you should ask your…_friend_…about what happened yesterday."

            "You mean Saeki?" the shorter boy asked with a grin, turning to look at Tezuka's rigid form. Tilting his head to the side slightly, Fuji let a few bangs fall into his face as he studied Tezuka's calm face. "You don't seem to like him very much. Jealous, Tezuka?"

            "I am not jealous," the tall boy stated flatly and shortly. He intended to let Fuji know that was the end of the conversation. He really didn't like to be pushed, and Fuji knew just exactly how to push him to the point where he thought he would explode. "I'm surprised your scheme didn't work out."

            "Maybe my skill's been lacking," Fuji said cheerfully with a carefree smile. Opening his eyes slowly, his smile faded as he stared at Tezuka seriously. "It's starting to annoy me though. I can't stand seeing Eiji without a smile on his face. If he's not happy, neither am I."

            "You're a loyal friend," Tezuka commented, opening his eyes and sitting up straight again to look Fuji in the eye. "You say that and yet you're still meddling in his affairs."

            "It's for his best interest," Fuji replied easily. "Have you seen Oishi this morning? Maybe it's just Eiji, I'm not sure. I'd like to see Oishi to see if anything really happened."

            "I know he's here, but I haven't seen him," Tezuka responded simply, standing up. Holding out a hand, he said in a serious tone, "Lunch is almost over. I'll walk you back to your classroom. Maybe you can see Kikumaru there."

            Taking the outstretched hand and hopping off the desk he was sitting on, Fuji smiled gratefully at the taller boy. Despite how his plan for his best friend was failing, he couldn't help but enjoy the time he was spending with Tezuka. Was it worth it though, at the cost of his best friend? Fuji wasn't sure.

            When Fuji stood to his feet, it didn't occur to Tezuka to let go of his hand. All he could think of was how it felt to have Fuji's slim, cool hand in his. Closing his eyes, he reluctantly let go. Tezuka never did know how exactly to feel around Fuji. Every passing moment he spent with the smiling boy made his feelings grow stronger though. They grew to a point where Tezuka wasn't sure what to do anymore.

            "Thank you…Tezuka," Fuji said with a tiny smile when Tezuka slowly pulled his hand away. The shorter boy felt his heart throb a bit, but kept smiling anyway. Noting Tezuka's slightly flushed face, Fuji managed to chuckle lightly. Hands behind his back, Fuji called out quietly, "Tezuka."

            "What is it?" the taller boy responded, looking straight ahead at the door. He knew that if he turned to face the blue eyed boy, he would lose all train of thought.

            "Thanks for these past few days," Fuji said, as cheerfully as he could. "Maybe it hasn't meant much to you, but I had a lot of fun. Not really because of Eiji and Oishi. I really did have a lot of fun being with you, so…thank you, Tezuka. Thanks for putting up with me. I know you really must hate this…so I'll do something quickly so I won't be a bother to you anymore. I figured you really did hate it when I'm with you all the time and I don't want to be in your way. That's the last thing I want."

            Tezuka felt his hands clenching when Fuji walked past him towards the door. His eyes were squeezed shut and he couldn't find the will to move forward, telling Fuji he was wrong.

            "I'll come up with a better plan," Fuji assured him lightly, sliding the door open. "Until then…I'll see you around."

            The door slid quietly shut, leaving Tezuka alone in the empty classroom. Opening his eyes again, Tezuka stared at the door where Fuji's silhouette lingered for a moment before disappearing down the hall. Even if he wanted to, Tezuka would never be able to admit that even only for a minute, that with Fuji's presence always made the room seem alive. When he stood by himself in the empty classroom, he had already figured out that whenever he was around Fuji, he didn't seem to be lonely anymore.

-

            Kikumaru was a high strung person. At one moment he could be sitting in front of a desk, fuming at Fuji for making fun of him or in this case, sitting happily in Oishi's lap as they fed each other. In the next instant he could be clinging to a wall like a cat falling off the ceiling. So naturally, when _someone_ decided to pop up, he was a little surprised…

            "So what are you two doing back here all alone?"

            "Nyao!" Kikumaru's eyes widened as he quickly jumped up and rolled over to the side, tangling himself in Oishi's jacket that was draped over his shoulders. Staring angrily up at the cheerfully smiling Saeki, the redhead managed to lift a fist and wave it at the light haired boy. "What are you doing, sneaking up on people like that?!"

            "What were you doing sitting in people's laps like that, Kikumaru-kun?" Saeki countered with an unfaltering smile. He laughed slightly when both Kikumaru and Oishi flushed darkly. "My, my, Kikumaru-kun. You really are more of a lap kitten then I thought."

            "You're _exactly_ like Fuji. No wonder you two are friends," the redhead said with a frown to Saeki, sitting up in attempt to untangle himself from the jacket. His arm was sticking up in a kind of awkward position that didn't look humanly possible, but somehow the flexible redhead had managed to pull one arm out. Turning towards Oishi, he complained with a slight whine, "Oishi! It's stuck on my head, nya! Can you help me please?"

            Glancing once at the grinning Saeki, Oishi moved towards his partner with a visible blush. "H-Hold still, Eiji! You'll tear your hair out if you're not careful!"

            Saeki watched with quiet amusement as patient Oishi untangled the button that had gotten stuck in the tearful redhead's hair. Fuji was right again, he thought to himself with slight smirk. Then again, Fuji was always right. Saeki wondered if Fuji had ever actually failed in one of his schemes. Ha. This should be a first for him.

            "Nice to know that Fuji set you two up properly," Saeki commented, smirk still in place. "You really are the 'Golden Pair,' aren't you?"

            Oishi turned a bright shade of red as Kikumaru cried out in relief once his head was free of the jacket. The redhead stared pointedly at the Rokkaku regular for a second before grinning. "Thanks for the compliment!"

            Laughing quietly, Saeki tilted his head to side slightly. "So how are things going when I'm not around to monitor everything?"

            "F-Fine," Oishi croaked, pulling at his collar. His cheeks were still flushed. "Do you really think this is a good idea for Eiji though? I mean, this is a really big change…"

            "It wouldn't have worked if they knew you two were already together," Saeki pointed out with a patient smile. "From observing, I can tell they wouldn't have much reason to be together as often anymore, don't you think? If Fuji thinks there's conflict, he'll have more instinct to meddle. Besides, no offense, Oishi, but I don't think your plan would have worked out very well. Fuji was never one to take…lectures very well."

             Kikumaru laughed and poked Oishi's flushed cheeks. "Oishi! No wonder you're called the mother of Seigaku!"

            "It was a thought," Oishi defended with a tiny smile. "But you know, I think that Saeki had the right idea when he played his little prank on all of us."

            "You mean the love letter to Fuji?" Kikumaru asked, blinking. Smiling lopsidedly, he added sheepishly, "I thought he was really serious though. I mean the way you two flirt and all, Saeki…"

            "No one said I wasn't serious, Kikumaru-kun," Saeki said cheerfully. He smiled at the redhead's wide-eyed stare and Oishi's blinking confusion. "Anyway, what's this idea of a love letter?"

            "Well, things will go too slowly if we just leave them how they are," Oishi reasoned, "So…I was thinking…maybe we could write love letters to both of them and tell them to meet in a certain spot and a certain time. If they think that the author is each other, then…"

            "Then they'll confess to each other," the redhead finished with a musing expression. "Seems like kind of an old trick, but it could work. What do you think, Saeki?"

            The light haired boy only smiled with a slight nod. He already had no doubts in his mind about doing this for his friend, but he only wondered if he was ready to give him up yet. _I feel like a father giving out his daughter,_ he thought to himself with a glint of humor. _Except I get the feeling I kind of want to keep him for myself. That doesn't matter though, since his happiness is more important than mine, I think._

            "Ah!" Kikumaru said suddenly, cat-like eyes wide. "I just thought of something! Fuji's really perceptive! He recognizes my writing and Saeki's too, while Tezuka has got to recognized Oishi's. So who's going to write each letter?"

            "I guess I'll have to write Fuji's then," Oishi said a bit nervously. He smiled slightly at his redhead partner before turning to look up at the standing boy. "Saeki, do you think you could write the one to Tezuka? Eiji's writing is a bit messy."

            "No, it's not!" the redhead exclaimed, puffing his cheeks slightly. "I just write really fast! Oishi, why do you like picking on me?"

            "You have a distinct way of writing so Tezuka's sure to recognize your writing anyway, Eiji," Oishi reasoned with a slight laugh. "We'll leave it to Saeki then…if it's alright with him…?"

            "No problem," Saeki replied with a pleasant smile. "I'll have it written and delivered by someone before the time lunch is over."

            Kikumaru nodded vigorously. "Ah, good idea. I'll find a girl in my class to give Fuji's copy to him and have her tell him it was from someone else. It would be too obvious if I gave it to him."

            "Everything's in order then?" Saeki asked the two quietly. Smiling, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the building. "I'll leave you two alone for now. Get the letter done, so don't have too much fun. Oh, and don't get caught like your two kohai from your Regular team."

            The Golden Pair blinked after him as Saeki walked inside, waving his hand over his shoulder in a carefree way. Slowly the exchanged glances and wondered what he was talking about. Kikumaru reached out and poked Oishi's cheek again. "Who's he talking about? There's only Momo, Kaidoh, and Ochibi…"

            Oishi shrugged lightly and let his partner think up as many combinations of the three as possible…as…frightening as that could turn out…

            "Kaidoh and Momo? Oh! Maybe Kaidoh and Ochibi? But Ochibi is only twelve and…"

            Kikumaru was a very high strung person, Oishi remembered with a smile. He watched quietly as the redhead rambled off pairs. Slowly, he leaned closer with that same smile on his face.

Kikumaru was a high strung person, but how surprising was it that he didn't bother to jump out of his skin when Oishi's lips were suddenly pressed against his. That was, apparently, something he had wanted enough not to be shocked about it. Rather, he just enjoyed the warmth of Oishi's smiling lips…

-

            Inui had just sent Kaidoh away with more mistletoe when Saeki stepped out of a classroom and headed towards him with a pleasant smile. Somehow, Inui didn't feel surprised when the Rokkaku student held out an envelope to him and said with an easy tone, "Could you please deliver this for me?"

            Looking down at the spotless envelope, Inui noticed that it was addressed to "Tezuka Kunimitsu-sama." He realized it wasn't real though. Looking back up at the boy, Inui asked him simply, "Why would you do this for him?"

            "I don't quite understand what you mean," Saeki said pleasantly, hand still holding out the envelope.

            "Fuji," Inui stated, adjusting his glasses slightly. "I know you feel something for him. Why are you still trying to set him up with Tezuka?"

            "It's because I care about him that I'm doing this for him," the light haired boy said, his arm never moving. "It's because I care about him that I would rather have him be happy with the person he likes, instead of stubbornly pursuing him to make myself happy and end up making him upset."

            "It takes a lot of courage to say that," the tall third year went on, "Are you sure about what you're doing? I'd say the relationship you have with him is pretty good. If you do this, things may change for you."

            "It doesn't matter to me," Saeki responded instantly. "As long as he's happy. Besides, I know you're on our side. Otherwise you wouldn't have sent that second year Regular to put up all those mistletoe sprigs in the clubroom for them."

            "I'll admit you got me there," Inui said, smirking slightly. Slowly, he reached out and took the envelope. "I admire the way you think. For that, I'll keep your secret. "I'll tell you still though: Tezuka and Fuji need each other."

            "Would you have told me to back off if I said I wanted to chase after Syusuke?" Saeki asked with a quirk of his lips.

            "Maybe," Inui replied vaguely. "I have to say I'm relieved that I could avoid that though. Thanks for your hard work. Leave the rest to me now."

            "I will. Thanks," Saeki said with a carefree smile as he headed towards Class 3-6 where Fuji was.

            Inui looked down at the envelope in his hand with a slight smile. It was quite interesting the way the human heart works. Some hearts were selfish and demanding while others were gentle and understanding. Others, however, were double-sided mirrors which proclaimed one thing and thought the other. The only problem, was that no person could accurately determine which kind of heart another person had. Inui wondered which type of heart Saeki really had. The gentle type or the deceiving double-sided mirror…

            The moment Saeki disappeared into the corner, as if on cue, Tezuka trudged slowly down towards Inui. The tall third year examined his captain carefully before he stopped in front of him. "Tezuka, I was asked to give this to you."

            Tezuka looked down at the letter for a minute before letting a firm frown set in his face. "I don't want it," he said flatly. "Return it to the sender."

            "Ah, Tezuka, believe me," Inui said firmly, holding out the envelope. "You need to read this one. Do the person a favor, won't you? Otherwise they'll be chasing after you forever."

            The shorter boy frowned at Inui's logic. It was reasonable, he guessed. He would have to turn them down as soon as possible. Tezuka didn't bother finding out whom it was from before he took the letter and returned to his classroom. He knew it didn't matter, since there was already someone he had in mind…

            "Victory," Inui said with a small smirk as he opened his notebook. "Why, Tezuka," he mumbled to himself with a grin. "Seems like your stubbornness is defeated by logic. That or you've got something in mind already…"

            Sliding the door shut to his class, Tezuka walked quickly to his desk and sat down rigidly. Staring down at the white envelope in his hand, Tezuka felt something in his stomach turn. Why did all of this seem so horribly familiar? Frowning with irritation, he slowly opened the letter and read it with a grim expression.

            _There's someone who loves you, I see with my eagle eyes. For Christmas, you'll get a pair of blue eyes. Meet after school by the boys' tennis clubroom._

            His lips formed a thin, straight line as his hands gripped the paper. Tezuka felt as if his head was spinning after he had read the very simple letter. The problem was that he wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Blue eyes… Who could have known he couldn't get a certain pair of blue eyes out of his head?

            "After school," Tezuka muttered to himself, folding the paper up to slip into his bag. There would be no tennis practice today, due to the weather. So whoever had written the letter knew about their conditions. Of course, Tezuka thought dryly to himself, that wasn't much help since just about every person in Seigaku knew what was going on with their famous tennis club.

            Tezuka was never one who would fidget during class, but today, he found it inevitable. It was taking much of his willpower to stay concentrated during class, but there were times when his mind strayed to a certain smiling someone that he never seemed to be able to pry from his thoughts anymore.

            Fuji, on the other hand, sat calmly in his class next to Kikumaru who was attentive in taking notes today. The blue eyed boy's thoughts would wander from time to time, but that never prevented him from answering any question the teacher asked him. It was the advantage of being a regular genius.

            He was curious about the letter he had received as well. It didn't look like Saeki's writing nor did it look like a certain redhead he suspected. Glancing over his shoulder at Saeki who smiled back easily at him, Fuji wondered if there was something his friend wasn't telling him.

            When Fuji had asked him about it as soon as he arrived in the classroom, Saeki simply chuckled lightly and patted the shorter boy's cheeks. The scene had made a few girls blush, but Fuji still hadn't found out anything about what had happened the previous day.

            The moment the bell rang to release the students, Fuji opened his mouth to say something to Kikumaru, but the redhead made a mad dash for Saeki and dragged him out of the room. Fuji's eyes opened for a moment as Saeki waved at him before disappearing out the door. Apparently he was on his own.

            Stepping out of his classroom, Fuji looked down the hall towards Tezuka's class, but was disappointed to see his tall captain nowhere in sight. Slight disappointment marring his features, Fuji headed towards the clubroom to find out what the sender of his letter meant about an "untouchable" Christmas present.

            Kikumaru stuck his head out of another classroom just as Fuji rounded the corner. A few of the students inside stared at the redhead curiously. Turning to face Saeki, Kikumaru exclaimed, "Let's follow him! That way we can be sure things will work out!"

            Smiling gently, Saeki stepped out of the classroom and patted the bouncy boy's head. "I think you should learn something from Fuji here. Stay put. He didn't follow you when he sent you out with Oishi, now did he?"

            "That's because _you_ were there," Kikumaru responded, brows furrowing. "Are you saying I shouldn't follow him? How will we know if things work out then? Hey! Where are you going? _You're_ going to follow him? That's not fair!"

            Saeki raised a finger to his smiling lips to hush the redhead. "I've got a few confessions to make before I give the bride away. Now, I think you have someone more important to spend your time with, don't you think, Kikumaru-kun?"

            Glancing over his shoulder, Kikumaru felt his cheeks warm slightly when he saw Oishi come out of his classroom. Taking a step towards the green eyed boy, Kikumaru beamed at Saeki. "I'll leave things to you then! I want to see results tomorrow, or I'll give you my share of Inui Juice!"

            "Don't worry about a thing," Saeki said with a laugh as he turned and continued down the hall. He jogged lightly until he stood in front of the door of the clubroom. Sighing slightly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

            Fuji was already inside, watching him as he walked inside. "Saeki," the blue eyed boy started. Slowly, he smiled. "So this was all your doing after all?"

            "Not exactly," the other boy corrected with a soft smile as he approached the shorter boy. "If you're talking about the letter you got, I didn't write it. I just had to tell you some things before I gave you away."

            "…what are you talking about?" Fuji asked in a hesitant voice, his eyes opening to reveal his shining blue eyes.

            Laughing slightly, Saeki rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I was in on it, but I'm not going to make it _that_ easy for him," he said a bit sheepishly. "I don't mind if you won't forgive me for this, but…"

            Tezuka walked towards the clubroom slowly. He wasn't sure about this idea, but he did remember Inui's point. Besides, there was a little matter of the strangeness of the letter itself. As he stood in front of the door, Tezuka saw that it was already slightly open. That could mean someone was already inside. Reaching out for the handle, Tezuka just heard a little of the dialogue…

            "Maybe you never noticed, but I have always loved you, Syusuke."

            Blue eyes snapped open and a hand clenched on the doorknob from outside. Fuji blinked at his friend before taking a step forward. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize… Saeki, you…"

            "Don't do this for me if you think you're trying to comfort me, Fuji," Saeki said, pulling out of Fuji's reach. He smiled with the slightest bit of pain. "Look, I know I may have hurt you by telling you this, but I do need to let go. Everyone knows that you have someone better for you; someone that already makes you happy. That is, everyone knows except you and that person."

            Fuji halted and looked at his friend in complete surprise. He seemed to get many surprises today. "Saeki, but I don't—…"

            "Hush, already," the taller boy said lightly, walking towards Fuji again. Reaching out, he touched the boy's soft cheek for a moment. With a wistful smile, he said, "I won't regret that I didn't tell you sooner, but I do wish I could have made you happier. You're always playing matchmaker for everyone else, but you should find someone for yourself too."

            "I know this will make your visitor very unhappy, but I can't leave without doing so," Saeki said cheerfully. Without another word, he bent over and kissed the lips he had always wanted to kiss. Pulling away gently, Saeki savored Fuji's blinking surprise before laughing slightly. "Good thing I don't go to this school. Otherwise he'd have me running a million laps by now."

            Fuji didn't say a word when Saeki walked to the door and pushed it open. He only watched in silence as Saeki said to someone outside, "I said I wouldn't let you have him so easily, but I still expect you to act on your chance. Don't waste this opportunity. Merry Christmas, you two."

            Tezuka's fists only clenched tighter when Saeki walked away from him. Unfortunately, Fuji already knew he was here so he couldn't just turn away and leave anymore. Closing his eyes, he stepped into the clubroom silently.

            "Tezuka…" Fuji said slowly, lifting his blue eyes to look at his captain. Slowly, he drew a smile on his face. "I didn't know we were meeting here today."

            "Neither did I," Tezuka said stonily. He pulled out the letter from his bag. "I received this letter."

            "A letter?" Fuji asked. Returning to his bag on the bench, he pulled out a similar envelope between his long fingers. "Interesting. I got one too."

            Exchanging glances, the two exchanged envelopes as well. Fuji's lips quirked into a smile as Tezuka's twitched in irritation. Fuji said with a slight laugh, "This is Saeki's handwriting."

            "And this is Oishi's," Tezuka declared with annoyance in his voice. "Looks like your scheme didn't fail after all," he said dryly, folding his arms. "This was a set up."

            "Does it matter that much?" Fuji asked with a light smile. Smile fading and eyes opening, Fuji set the envelopes aside and shifted his eyes. "Tezuka… About what Saeki was saying…"

            "What about it?" the taller boy asked, making sure his gaze avoided Fuji's. "Is there…someone that makes you that happy?"

            "I was thinking about it," Fuji said seriously in a soft voice. "Whenever I thought about what made me happy, something always stuck out in my mind. It was whenever I was with you."

            Taking a breath, he went on cautiously, "Tezuka, these last few days we've spent together have made me the happiest I've been before. I tried to forget about it though, since you always looked at me in this annoyed way. As much as I liked spending time with you, I could tell you hated it, so I tried to limit it more."

            "Why do you always look at the negative side when it comes to these kind of things?" Tezuka suddenly demanded, advancing on the shorter boy. "Fuji, listen to me. No matter what you or I do, I can't get you out of my head. How can you say that I can't stand to be around you?"

            Closing his eyes, Fuji lowered his head. Tezuka's hands were gripping his shoulders in almost a painful way, but he didn't mind. That's because it was Tezuka…and as long as it was Tezuka, Fuji didn't mind anything at all.

            "Fuji," Tezuka began again, a bit breathless. He closed his eyes in shame for a moment before opening them again. "I like you, Fuji. Maybe more than you realize…"

            "I…like you too, Tezuka," Fuji said quietly, opening his blue eyes again. "I do, but do you really think things could work out for us?"

            "Facing reality," the taller boy muttered, "probably not forever. But let's try for a while. For you, I don't mind escaping reality for a while. You already drive me to insanity anyway."

            "Then we'll be having that mistletoe rematch after all, then?" Fuji said with a playful tone yet serious smile. His heart pounded in synchronization with Tezuka's as the taller boy awkwardly placed his arms around Fuji. "Do you care for me, Tezuka?"

            "Idiot," Tezuka breathed, leaning over. "It's obvious I do. If I didn't, I never would have put up with you for so long."

            Their kiss was long and sweet, filled with passion that had been hidden for too long. Falling in love was like walking in deep snow. At first, walking along the top seemed easy, but the further a person walks, the deeper they fall into the snow's icy trap. Once stuck in that trap, the person can only sink deeper and deeper because it is too hard to pull out. For the first time, Fuji felt his face flush and his knees feel weak. He couldn't help slumping into Tezuka's arms as their kiss deepened.

            "So what about that condom you promised me for Christmas?" Tezuka asked with a smirk.

            "Are you saying you need it now?" Fuji asked in return as Tezuka unbuttoned the top of his shirt. The blue eyed boy smirked back at the taller boy. "Tezuka, you really are dirtier than I expected."

            "Don't look down on me so much," Tezuka mumbled as they fell onto a bench, discarding Fuji's shirt. "I'll be sure to finish this time…"

            "Ah! What're they doing?!"

            "Shut up! Let's lock the door!"

            "…wait, you can't do that. I forgot that Kaidoh's still in there."

            "…Inui, you mean that second year Regular is still…oh…"

            "Takeshi-senpai, get off of me, I can't see!"

            "Good, there's nothing to see."

            "Quiet! I'm going to fa—…!"

            Six Seigaku Regulars plus one Rokkaku Regular rolled into the clubhouse in a disorganized mess at the feet of a disgruntled Tezuka and a half dressed, still smiling Fuji. Kawamura instantly blushed and leaped into a corner where Kaidoh was unfortunately hiding. Inui picked himself up and motioned towards Kaidoh and Kawamura. "You two are under a mistletoe. Don't make me tell you the consequences if you don't do what you're supposed to."

            Kaidoh stared, open mouthed, at Inui. "Inui-senpai," he sputtered, "after what I just had to sit through and…"

            "So you _do_ want to drink my juice?" Inui asked with a delighted smile. He happily pulled out his notebook when Kaidoh and Kawamura instantly dived for each other. "Oh, and Kikumaru. You just stepped on Momoshiro there, and you happen to be under another mistletoe."

            "What?!" Kikumaru exclaimed loudly with a huge frown. "Nya! Inui! That's not fair! _Oishi_!"

            "Kikumaru-senpai _again_?" Echizen asked with a popping vein. "Isn't that convenient, _Momo-senpai_."

            "Ryoma! Don't go back to calling me that!" Momoshiro wailed. "Come on! It was an accident! It's not like I did it on purpose! Besides! You're under a mistletoe with Saeki!"

            Cackling, Inui adjusted his glasses so that the sun glinted off of them. He smirked expectantly at the two unfortunate couples. "Well? You know what to do."

            "So do you, Inui," Saeki said with a pleasant smile, pointing to the tall third year. "Aren't you standing under one with Oishi over there?"

            Oishi blinked and flushed madly. "EH?!"

            "…Kaidoh, where have you been hanging all of these?"

            Fuji simply chuckled at the group, not bothering to move from his position underneath Tezuka. "They're quite a lively bunch, aren't they?"

            "Lively," Tezuka repeated with a mumble. Glaring at the group, he demanded as loud as he could. "All of you. Two hundred laps. _Now_."

            Not one protested as the filed out of the clubroom. Not even Saeki bothered to say a thing. That just goes to show not to mess around with Tezuka while he was horny. Yes, that was a very rare time that should not be toyed with.

            "It'll be a while before they're finished," Fuji said with a devious smile and open blue eyes. "Shall we continue, Tezuka?"

            "Wait, there's one thing I'm curious about," Tezuka said slowly, glancing at Fuji's tennis bag on the ground where they had knocked it off the bench. "Why did you have handcuffs in your bag?"

            "Oh," Fuji said with a bright smile as he cuffed his left hand to Tezuka's. "You mean these cuffs?"

            "…where are the keys?"

            "Saa…who knows?"

            "Fuji…"

            "Yes?"

            "…never mind…"

            "Merry Christmas, Tezuka."

            Owari.

-----

**A/N:** Whoo…finally finished! I'm very, _very_ tired. =_=;; I was desperately trying to finish this in time for St. Valentine's Day after all. Although I'm posting this a bit early, I would consider this a St. Valentine's Day gift!  
*laugh* ahah…never mind the fact this was supposed to be written for Christmas. ^^;; I worked very hard, so thanks for reading! I really appreciate all your reviews. You guys are all great! *hug*

As for the other Valentine's/birthday story I was writing for Ohtori... *wince* yes, that will be late since I'm going away for a few days. *sigh* I notice that all of my writing is very late… *nervous laugh*

*low bow* Thanks again for all your support with this fic, everyone! I couldn't have done it without all the readers and reviews. Thanks, everyone! ^^;; I hope you enjoyed reading "Deep Snow"!


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